Reset
by RebelByrdie
Summary: A Season 2 Finale AU. Emma and Regina could not stop the diamond from exploding but their magic still saved Storybrooke, with some unexpected consequences. The Dark Curse has been re-enacted and Emma and Regina are the only ones who remember what has happened. Old enemies and new alliances threaten Storybrooke and only True Love can restore what has been lost. SwanQueen.
1. Chapter I: The Trigger

Title: Reset

Author: RebelByrdie

Rating: T-M

Fandom: Once Upon A Time

Pairing: Regina/Emma and some surprises!

Disclaimer: Storybrooke, its population and its drama belong to its creators. This is a work of not-for-profit fiction.

Summary: One of my random Tumblr posts lead to this and I'm not even sorry.

What if the diamond does detonate? What if the trigger isn't a self-destruct, what if it's a reset button? Poof Storybrooke resets, curse intact and memories wiped. Only since they were in direct contact with the diamond upon destruction, Emma and Regina are the only ones who remember everything. Season 3 opens with everyone waking up like in "Welcome to Storybrooke" only with Emma cast as the Sheriff and anyone who had arrived in town, like Greg and Tamara, under the spell. Magical shenanigans start to happen while Emma and Regina try to set things right. Also SwanQueen happens. Like, allot.

Author's Note: This is not beta-read so all mistakes, comma splices and general mistreatment of the English language belong to me. Furthermore, this was originally intended to be a one-shot but some awesome people left some really encouraging reviews and my muses went into overdrive. There is more to this idea then I originally thought.

Reset

Chapter I

The Trigger

The Evil Queen was not supposed to be a hero. She was supposed to be a scheming, wicked, maniacally cackling witch. Regina wasn't supposed to be in danger. She wasn't supposed to be the one laying her life on the line for everyone else. Emma was pretty sure that was Savior territory. The infuriating brunette had gone to the mines anyway. The woman could barely stand up straight on her own, but she had descended into the heart of the fucking apocalypse to try to buy them more time. For Henry, she had said. She didn't know what kind of twisted dreams of grandeur Regina had in her head, but they were coming to an end. Emma stalked through the diamond mines with one purpose. She was going to get her son's other mother and drag her kicking and screaming away from Storybrooke. They were getting the hell out of Dodge. There would be no heroic sacrifices today. She was not going to let Henry lose another parent.

She felt it before she saw it. Magic hummed and crackled in the air like electricity. It made her spine stiffen and her skin prickle uncomfortably. She heard Regina before she turned the corner and saw her. Low groans and grunts, there were no intelligible words, only shaky painful sounds that reminded Emma that Regina had spent her morning being tortured.

Then she saw her, and could barely process what it was she was seeing. The diamond was vibrating and arcs of destructive power were leaping between it and Regina's outstretched hands. The woman was trembling and her face was covered in a sheen of sweat. When she saw Regina's dark brown eyes, still bloodshot, she was almost knocked back a step by the emotions swirling in them: pain, fear, surprise, and a tiny spark of what might have been hope.

"I can't contain this much longer."

The woman's voice, usually so cool and confident, was husky with pain.

"Then don't." Emma held out her hand, "Let it go and come with me."

The shock that crossed Regina's face was almost painful to Emma. She had really expected to be left alone to die.

"I can't. If I let go now it will detonate. You have to go-fast. Henry can't lose us both."

Neal's words, some of his last before he plummeted into the swirling green portal of doom, came back to her again. Henry had never grown up like them, he had always had a Mother who loved him more than anything else, even when she'd had problems showing it. Then again, when you were raised by a literally heartless witch, maybe motherly love was something you had to figure out as you went. She was not going to let Henry's mother, the woman who had changed his diapers, taught him to walk, bandaged his scrapes and tucked him in every night, die. He had already lost too much.

She stepped closer and Regina's eyes widened, "Emma, no!"

Regina rarely called her Emma and that was a shame because despite the circumstances the word sounded almost musical when the former queen said it.

She took another step and the diamond sparked wildly. It was getting worse and Regina was struggling with everything she had. The vein in her forehead was throbbing wildly, so clearly defined against her skin that Emma feared it might burst. Sweat coursed down her face and there were tears in her brown eyes.

"Leave me!"

Regina's voice echoed through the chamber, a fragile sound that cut through Emma like a knife.

"No."

She closed the distance between them, and skirted the diamond. She stood behind Regina now, and without her ridiculous high heeled shoes they were the same height. She didn't know what to do until her hand brushed Regina's back. She could feel the tension, the trembling and tight muscles, through the thick coat she wore. The touch made Regina gasp, it was a quiet sound and if Emma hadn't been so close to her she would have never heard it. She wasn't sure why she did it, she blamed the little demons who made all of her rash decisions for her, but she wrapped her arms around Regina.

"Emma."

When was the last time anyone had hugged Regina? Emma had never been a hug and kiss kind of girl, but even Evil Queens needed a hug every once and a while. Regina shuddered in her grasp and over her shoulder Emma could see the diamond pause in the air. It looked almost calm.

The hat. Emma felt like slapping herself.

"The hat, Regina. It's just like the hat."

Regina hadn't been able to make Jefferson's hat spin until Emma had touched her. One of her last clear memories of that hellish night before she'd fallen into the insanity that had been the Enchanted Forest was the look that had crossed Regina's face. Hope and awe had, for a precious moment, repainted Regina's features. The way Regina had looked at her, it had made Emma's heart skip a beat.

"Your magic." The brunette's voice was quiet, but Emma could almost see the woman's smirk in the two words.

She moved each hand around either side of Regina's sides. She went slowly, dragging her hands up her stomach, and around the soft swell of her breasts. She let her fingers drag up her shoulders, she felt her fingertips brush the barest stretch of bare neck. She stretched her arms out, following the line of Regina's taut arms. She paused at her elbows and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Our magic together."

She stretched her arms all the way out and pressed her palms to the backs of Regina's trembling hands. Her fingers found a very-natural feeling home as they slid into the gaps between the ex-mayor's fingers. She clasped her fingers tight, and allowed herself to hold Regina's hands in her own. She pressed herself flush against the brunette and she felt the woman go still.

"is unstoppable."

She rested her chin on Regina's shoulder and watched the diamond twist and turn in the air in front of them. It seemed calmer, like it was running out of steam. It was pulsing a pale purple and Emma wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Did we do it?"

Her words were spoken against Regina's wool-covered neck and shoulder and she felt Regina shiver against her. They were connected, not just physically, Emma could feel the primal and potent pull of magic. Last time it had only been a spark, this time it was like a river flowing between them. It was a sweet and heady sensation, being connected to Regina Mills.

"I don't kno-"

The diamond shuddered and sparks shot out of it. Its pulse of raw power knocked Regina back and Emma happily took the other woman's weight.

"I've got you."

Regina turned and tilted her head so they could look at each other, "We didn't stop it. We can't stop it now. It's gone too far."

A tear slipped out of Regina's eye and coursed down her cheek, "I'm sorry."

Emma could feel the diamond's energy building, the mine was almost unbearably hot now, and the air was thick and breathing was almost too much effort. They were going to lose this battle. She should have made Regina go. They should have at least tried to run. Now Henry really was going to be an orphan.

God damn it. This wasn't how it was all supposed to end.

All she wanted was a little more time. Time to be a good daughter and sheriff. Time to pull Regina closer and show her that she had someone on her side, someone who cared about her. Time to show her that there was more to life then scheming and tears.

"I just wanted another chance to show Henry that I loved him. That I could be a good mother."

The sob that wracked Regina's body made Emma's heart clench.

"He knows."

She looked into Regina's brown eyes. If this was their last moment on Earth, then there could be no more masks and no more lies. No reason to hide and no reason not to lay out all of their cards.

"And I know."

Chocolate brown eyes softened, "I should have never pushed you away. It only hurt Henry and-"

She closed her eyes, as if she were struggling with her words.

"me."

They were the two most obstinate, hard headed women in the world. It took imminent death to force out the feelings that they both had known about since the very first night they'd met.

"Regina."

The woman's eyes fluttered open again and Emma could see everything in them. Every emotion, every fear and every crushed hope.

The diamond shuddered violently and arcs of magic shot out of it in wicked lines and angles. The mine around them trembled and shook. This was the end.

If this was the end, Emma wasn't going to let her last chance go.

She tilted her head and she hoped Regina wouldn't use her last seconds alive slapping her.

She didn't. Regina met her lips with her own. Magic. Emma had played around with magic, but those times had been nothing compared to this. Every molecule in her body buzzed and her world narrowed down to the woman she was pressed against. If the world had to end, Emma figured that there was no where she'd rather be. The world was crashing down around them and she was kissing Regina Mills and in that moment she understood that this was supposed to be their Happy Ending.

The ground underneath their feet pitched and the air came to a standstill. She squeezed Regina's hands and felt the other woman's fingers curl around hers. Regina tugged her arms down and she found herself holding the woman she was kissing and everything was _right_.

Then the world exploded in a black burst of chaos and deafening silence.

* * *

"One time I was falling in love, now I'm falling apart."

Regina Mills rolled over and slapped the alarm clock. She hated Bonny Tyler. Her eyes widened and she jack-knifed up in bed. She was, Regina realized, in her own bed. She pushed the covers down and saw that she was in her favorite silk pajamas. She was alive. She reached up to find her temples were smooth and unmarred by the blisters that the electric shocks had left. She scrambled out of bed and stumbled to the window. She pushed the curtains aside and let out a sigh of relief when the familiar landscape of Storybrooke met her eyes. Everything was still there, as perfect and beautiful as it had been for the last twenty-eight years.

They had done it. She and Emma had saved Storybrooke.

Henry.

Where was thei-her son?

She ran, the one thing she had told Henry not to do over and over again, out of her bedroom and into the hall. Why was Henry's bedroom so far away? The logical answer, Regina knew, was that she had never wanted to wake him up with her screaming night terrors. Logic had very little to do with her thoughts at the moment. Henry's door, marked with a hand-written sign, was ajar and she pushed it open with a shaky hand.

A single bare foot poked out from under the quilt that she had pieced together when Henry had been a toddler. Henry's tousled brown hair peeked out from the top of the quilt and one arm, clad in Iron Man pajamas, was wrapped around his storybook.

Relief hit her like a tidal wave and her knees weakened to the point that she had to lean against the doorjamb to keep from falling to the floor.

Henry was safe. He was at home, snug in his bed. Her sweet little boy, her Henry. Tears welled up in her eyes. They had done it. They had-but where was Em-Miss Swan?

Terror clawed up her throat. There was no magic without a price. What had the price been? Had the Savior been the price? She went cold, frozen in place by her own horrifying thoughts. No. It couldn't be that. What kind of fickle fate would let the Evil Queen survive but sacrifice the Savior? She pulled herself up, and forced her knees to stiffen. She let Henry sleep undisturbed, and hoped he was having little boy dreams about puppies and superheroes and happiness. She walked back to her own room and dressed automatically. How many times had she gone through this routine on automatic? She could not focus on the designer clothes and shoes because all she could think of Emma.

Emma and the way the woman had held her, helped her, and kissed her. Regina pulled a silk dress over her head, or had she kissed Emma? Did it matter? They had kissed each other and in those last seconds before everything had exploded, she had pulled Emma's arms around her. She had been in her enemy's arms and had felt safe. She had felt safe and protected while the world literally crumbled around them. They had been standing in a hellishly hot mine staring down oblivion and all she had been able to think about was how she never wanted their kiss to end.

Her fingers went to her mouth, to the lips that had been pressed against Emma's and her heart gave a lurch. What did it mean?

She had her dress half-zipped when she heard the roar of an engine. She knew, down to her core, that it was the Sheriff's cruiser. She jerked the zipper into place and left her bedroom barefoot. Her thoughts were a swirling mess in her head as she descended the stairs. Her heart thudded in her chest and her hand shook as she reached for the door knob.

Sunlight flooded the foyer when she opened the door. She blinked against the glare and then saw a silhouette standing in the middle of the walkway. Golden hair that spilled down leather clad shoulders in a soft tangle of curls caught the sun. Emma Swan stood in her front yard with her thumbs hooked in the pockets of her tight blue jeans. A gold badge twinkled at her belt.

"Please tell me that you know who I am."

Regina blinked at her words and answered with the first thing that came to her mind, "You're Henry's birth mother."

Emma's mouth, her wonderful lips, twisted into a scowl.

"And the Savior."

Emma's face brightened, "We did it."

Regina didn't make the decision to do so, but found herself moving towards the other woman. She launched herself at Emma and wrapped her arms around the other woman's neck.

They had done it.

She felt Emma's arms curl around her and her heart warmed.

"Henry?"

The word was spoken softly, almost directly into her ear.

She tightened her grip around the Savior's neck. "I woke up and he was here, home, in his bed." She felt tears well in her eyes again, "Safe and sound."

She buried her head in Emma's shoulder and brushed her lips across her neck.

She felt more then heard Emma draw in a deep breath. Regina froze in place, panic replacing the feeling of safety she found in Emma's arms.

Then she felt lips on the crown of head, soft and warm.

She wasn't sure what had happened, what was happening or what would happen next, but she couldn't help but be awed by the fact that she, the Evil Queen, had found serenity with the Savior.

"Mom?"

Both of them jerked and turned to see Henry, still clad in his pajamas, standing in the doorway. His book of "fairytales" was tucked under his arm.

"Why are you hugging Sheriff Swan?"

She looked at her son, and then at his other mother. Emma's face was just as blank as her own. Neither of them knew what to say.

They had saved Storybrooke, but there had been a definite price.


	2. Chapter II: The Town

Author's Note: EmmaShalforever, AwaitingPeaceInside, CMiller13, kiacheo, AlexandriaVE, polybi, Immi, Penas e Pergaminhos, bubu, sbrockz, YourDepressedPenPal, pi, Jules-Day, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, Transylvanian, Swampj2, LittleBlueMonkeySponge, HurriCane91, KC-Ket, Kaishei, GayWolfie66, Guest, and 78 followers...this is your fault.

Chapter II

The Town

Emma squeezed Regina tight to her body. She was so warm and fluffy. Warm and fluffy? Emma cracked one bleary eye open. Her arms were wrapped around a pillow. She opened both eyes and looked around her. She was at home, in bed, snuggling a pillow. She sat up and pushed a hand through her hair. Had it been a dream? A really weird, messed up, drank-too-much-tequila-last-night dream? Maybe it had been. She twisted in bed and put her feet on the floor. She didn't feel hung over, not even a little bit. She buzzed, her entire body buzzed like she had just licked an electric outlet. It was a pleasant after-effect of kissing Regina. In her dream, of course. It wasn't the first time she had thought about kissing the other woman senseless. Usually, though, her dreams were less _Apollo 13_ and little more _D.E.B.S._

Coffee, she needed coffee. She would go downstairs and have coffee with David and Snow and then she would walk Henry to school and then go to Granny's and get her usual cocoa and bear claw, her version of normal now. She would put this dream, a disturbing yet beautiful fantasy, behind her. She put on pants, an unhappy and unappreciated necessity now that her father and son lived with her, and stumbled out of her bedroom, leaving her bed unmade and last night's clothes on the floor. A smile crawled across her face when she smelled coffee. She tripped down the stairs with none of the grace that her last name implied, and grumbled a half-hearted "Morning" to Snow as she passed her. She moved on auto-pilot, grabbing a mug and filling it without conscious thought. After a sip or two she looked around. Snow was fussing with a bag full of something and was already dressed as if to leave.

Where was Henry? She didn't hear the shower running, and there was nowhere else he could be. It was a small apartment. Wait, she looked around again, where was David?

"What's going on?"

Were they out having an early morning sword fight or something?

"I'm headed to Granny's before school."

School?

Emma blinked and looked at Snow again, she was wearing a ruffled lilac blouse and a white skirt that reached her knees. It didn't look much like Snow's style at all. It looked like the kind of thing she had worn when she was Mary Margret. Was it laundry day or something?

"So you're teaching?" She hadn't thought about Snow teaching again, she had been too busy being well, Snow.

"Of course. What else would I do?" She smiled, "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to get to Granny's if I want to have time to enjoy my coffee."

She watched her mom walk out the door and was stumped. No hug, no gentle smile, no mom-ness at all. If she didn't know any better she would swear she was back to being just Mary Margret. That was ridiculous, though, right? She was just having an off-day. Everything was still fresh and new and awkwardness would happen. She shook her head. Since Henry was gone, David would drop him at school she assumed, she should get ready for her long day of doing nothing at the Sheriff's Station.

She showered and dressed quickly, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Her dream clung to her, and wouldn't let her go. It had been so vivid. Her palms still tingled, from holding Regina's hands or from producing magic, she wasn't actually sure which. She'd had Regina in her arms, had looked into her eyes, and had kissed her. God what a kiss. It had been everything she had ever thought it would be, only better. She had faced the end of the world with the Evil Queen in her arms and had felt strangely complete. Like the last piece of the ridiculous picture puzzle that was her life had fallen into place. Maybe she should curb her late night snacks? Or get laid? Both, possibly both. Anything to stop the heart-stopping and impossible dreams about Regina Mills.

She grabbed her hip holster, David could keep the leather shoulder bondage gear for himself, and her pistol. The weight settled against her leg comfortably. The last thing she grabbed were her keys, her Sheriff's badge and her red leather jacket. It was time to start a new day in her crazy life.

Emma walked to Granny's and smiled at people as they passed her. Same hum-drum town, same people in the same routine. Marco was nailing a sign up over his hardware store, little Pinocchio was at the base of the ladder holding his tool box. It was hard to imagine that August had been such a cute little kid. He looked especially adorable in his Storybrooke School uniform. Archie, out for his morning walk with Pongo, waved hello to her and she waved back. The cricket-turned-shrink was a stand-up guy and she was glad he was in their corner. He was the little conscience that kept everyone on the right path. She chuckled at her own joke. Ruby and Granny were setting out the large sign for the day. Emma blinked. Ruby had streaked her hair again. Then she caught sight of the rest of the waitress and sometimes back-up-deputy's body. She was wearing a barely-there pair of red shorts and tied off white shirt. It was the kind of outfit that she had worn all the time back before the curse had broken. Was it almost time for another full moon? Because it looked like Ruby was feeling frisky.

She met them at the door. Granny went through ahead of them, grumbling something about Ruby's attitude. Ruby only grinned, "You want your usual, Sheriff?" She flicked her red-streaked hair and grinned. Emma blinked, momentarily confused. Was Ruby _flirting_ with her? Not that she was opposed to it. Ruby "Red" Lucas was a beautiful woman, but she was also her best friend and technically her God Mother. They had stopped the playful banter after the curse had broken because flirting with a woman who had patted her head while she was in-utero had been weird. Really really weird.

She stepped inside the Diner and took it all in. Mary Margret was sitting at one of the tables, drinking her coffee and watching the door. Emma waved to her, but the other woman didn't respond. Leroy was at the counter, dressed in the hospital cover-alls she hadn't seen him in for months. Well, even dwarves needed day jobs she supposed. Belle was leaned over a plate of food at the end of the counter. Wait, no, the short green skirt and black halter top very clearly declared the brunette to be Lacey. Hadn't Gold and Mother Superior brought back Belle, though? That must have been part of the dream too.

Ruby, coffee and bear claw to go, paused to say something to the obviously hung-over brunette as she passed her. There was that smile again, and Emma blinked. Now that was just random and odd. If she didn't know any better she would say Ruby was flirting with Lacey, which was crazy because everyone knew the woman was Mr. Gold's new-slash-old-slash-whatever girlfriend.

She took the bag and to-go cup and reached for wallet but Ruby just winked at her, "I'll just put it on your tab."

Right, well, okay then.

The door's bell jingled and Emma turned to see David, her dad, come in. Oh thank God, normalcy had finally arrived. He would look at Snow and tell her that he'd found her and they would snuggle together in a way that sometimes made Emma throw up in her mouth a little and everything would make sense again.

"Hey Ruby, Emma." He walked past Snow with only a small hitch in his step. "Can I get two coffees to go, one black and the other-"

Ruby waved her hand to cut him off, "Yeah yeah, I know what you need."

Why was he getting two coffees? Snow already had- She turned around and looked out the door and then did a double take. Was that Katherine Nolan's car? Katherine, as in David's fake wife during the curse, Nolan?

It hit her like the proverbial ton of bricks. Wait, was the ton of brick a real thing? Was there, like, a big ass pile of bricks somewhere in the Enchanted Forest?

Focus, Swan. Emma actually physically shook herself.

It had not been a dream. She and Regina had gone to the mines to stop the diamond from detonating. They had succeeded, but something had happened. Something really weird. They had, she didn't even know what they had done. She walked out of the Diner without another word, confused and somewhat concerned for her own sanity. What had they done? What the hell had she and Regina done to Storybrooke?

She was lost in her thoughts, completely in a daze, so she didn't even see the body in her way until it was way too late.

She crashed into the other person and gracelessly fell on her ass. Her cocoa, hot and laced with cinnamon, splashed all over her white tank top and Emma hissed in pain.

"Shit! I am so sor-"

She looked up from her place on the sidewalk and immediately lost her words. Greg Mendelson, arm in arm with Tamara, smiled down at her.

"Oh I'm sorry, Sheriff Swan." He offered her a hand to help her up.

"I hope she doesn't arrest you for assaulting an officer, Honey."

Tamara smiled at her, "Are you okay, Emma?"

She scrambled to her feet unassisted. "Yeah, I uh-"

They had tried to kill everyone in Storybrooke. Emma felt rage rising in her as she remembered Tamara's words. This woman had killed Neal. Shot him and then opened a portal that had whisked him away to God only knew where.

"Well you'll have to change your shirt, but I think you're okay." Greg chuckled, "So you won't arrest me, right?"

Arrest him? She wanted to do more than arrest him. The bastard had almost _killed_ Regina. He had tortured her for hours without mercy. Arrest him? She wanted to murder him.

Regina. Her heart leapt into her throat. Where was Regina?

"Not today."

She excused herself and headed to the station. She had to get to Regina. Mendelson and Tamara were still in Storybrooke, and no one was safe. Especially the brunette. She wouldn't-couldn't let Regina be taken again. She couldn't imagine going through another day like that, having to control her panic at the idea that they wouldn't find Regina in time. She couldn't survive seeing Regina like that again. So still, pale and broken, tortured until they could only barely find her pulse. Never again.

Her cruiser sat in front of the Sheriff's Office and Emma made a bee-line for it. Walking to Regina's mansion would take far too long. Driving would only take five minutes, three if she put the pedal down. She climbed in and flipped the visor down to reveal the keys that she always stashed there.

She started the car and felt it roar to life. She resisted the very strong urge to hit the lights and sirens. She backed up, pulled into the street and pointed her hood towards Mifflin Lane.

It had not been a dream. Emma pushed the hand that wasn't on the wheel through her blonde curls. She hadn't even noticed that the curls were back. Had they reversed time or something? Could magic even do that? Maybe, Emma mused, _their_ magic could do that.

Together, she remembered saying, they were unstoppable. Together, in their last moments, she and Regina had been together. They had shared the kiss that Emma had wanted ever since she'd laid eyes on her son's adoptive mother.

She pushed the gas down harder and felt the vehicle surge forward. She was breaking the speed limit, but who was going to give her a ticket? She was the only damn cop in town. She made the last turn and could see the large white manor house just ahead. She started to slow down, but her tires still squealed in protest when she turned into Regina's driveway. She came to a shaky stop behind the woman's Mercedes and she turned the car off, jumped out and slammed the door behind her.

Regina had to be okay. She was the Evil Queen, for God's sake, a little diamond couldn't put her down for the count.

What if she didn't remember what had happened? Oh God. Emma didn't know if she could handle being the only one in town that remembered. She paused in the middle of the walkway between the driveway and the manor's white door. What if she didn't remember their kiss?

The door opened and Emma relief rush through her. Regina was okay, she was standing in the door in one of her thousand dollar dresses. She looked as regal and beautiful as she ever had, but did she remember?

"Please tell me that you know who I am."

Please God, let her remember. Emma didn't remember if she had ever really prayed before, and she definitely hadn't since she had found out that Fairy Tales were real and she was a Princess from a magical realm. Still, though, if God could pay her a solid in this one thing, she would be a good girl for the rest of her life. She would buy every damn candle the nuns made if God would just let her have this one little thing.

"You're Henry's birth mother."

It was the same thing Regina had sputtered at her on the very first night they had met. Oh no. No, damn it, no! Emma felt her smile fall and she scowled. Regina didn't remember.

"And the savior."

Light burst in her chest and she felt her smile return.

"We did it."

They had saved Storybrooke. Then, in the blink of an eye, Regina Mills was wrapped around her. All five-foot five inches of the former mayor was pressed against her. Any and all thoughts of Greg, Tamara, her parents and Storybrooke evaporated. All she could think about was how perfectly Regina fit against her. Her arms wrapped around the other woman and pulled her closer. Regina was safe, she remembered everything. They could face whatever had happened together. Then she, Regina and Henry- Henry!

She nuzzled close to Regina, and the woman's dark hair tickled her nose. "Henry?" Her word was almost a whisper, but her lips were almost close enough to the other woman's ear to nibble on it so she knew it was audible.

Regina's arms tightened around her neck, "I woke up and he was here, home, in his bed. Safe and sound."

He was safe, relief filled her entire being. Their son was safe. She felt lips brushed against her neck and drew in a deep breathe. Regina didn't regret it, she was in her arms once again and she wasn't pulling away. Her non-reaction made the queen in her arms stiffen. She smiled at the sudden shyness and dropped her head a fraction of an inch to press a kiss to Regina's head. They were safe and they were together, and everything was going to work out. Everything was going to be okay, somehow.

"Mom?"

Both she and Regina turned to see Henry standing at the door. He looked utterly adorable in his Iron Man pjs. His hair was tousled and he had his book tucked under his arm. Damn, she had made a cute kid.

"Why are you hugging Sheriff Swan?"

What?

She felt all the strength suddenly leave her body. Sheriff Swan? Why was her son calling her-Oh God.

She looked down at Regina and then back at Henry. The realization settled over her like a soaked wool blanket. Henry didn't remember. He didn't remember that she was his mother and that they lived in a real-life fairy tale.

She felt tears well in her eyes and fought to push them back.

Her son didn't remember her and that hurt more than a knife or bullet to the heart.

"Henry."

Regina's voice was surprisingly steady. The other woman let her go and took a step closer to the boy at the door.

What was the woman going to say? Would she deny everything? She was Henry's only mother again. This was exactly what Regina had wanted ever since she'd brought Henry back to her.

"We have a lot to talk about."

Emma wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that or not. Then Regina turned back towards her, just a fraction of an inch. Emma prepared herself for a harsh, Evil Queen Style dismissal.

Regina held out her hand, and though she didn't turn enough for Emma to see her face, she knew that a small smile graced the woman's face. Emma once again took Regina's hand in her own and her earlier confidence returned. Together, she smiled, they were unstoppable.


	3. Chapter III: The Son

Chapter III

The Son

Regina led Emma into her house by the hand. Emma had been in the mansion countless times but this was the first time she actually felt welcome. Regina's hand was warm and fit snugly against her own, like it belonged there, like they belonged together. She was slightly taller than Regina today, which was unusual. Then she looked the woman up and down and realized that she was barefoot. She had never, ever, seen Regina Mills barefoot. Her feet, like the rest of her, were dainty and elegant. Her toenails were painted a bright scarlet red. That was Regina in a nutshell, no one ever saw her toes, but of course they were pedicured and painted. It was just so _Regina_ that it made perfect sense.

They ended up in the den. A room that Emma had peeked at, but had never been in. The room was dominated by a large flat screen television and surround sound system. Well, Emma mused, she knew where she was watching the next Super Bowl. There was also a large multi-tiered shelf full of movies, most were child-oriented but Emma could see a few grown-up selections hanging out on the top shelf. She had a definite itch between her shoulder blades, she wanted to prowl around and see what kind of movies the Mayor watched. This was not the time, though.

They settled themselves on the couch, and she tried not to notice that Regina was still holding her hand. Henry sat across from, snuggled comfortably in a large overstuffed chair. He folded his legs underneath him and tucked his book by his side. His face was a mix of curiosity and suspicion. The curiosity she recognized, it was the same look he'd had on his face when he'd been standing outside her apartment door in Boston so many months before. The suspicion was new, but she had a feeling that it was an expression that Regina had seen far too often. She squeezed the other woman's hand. This was going to be weird.

"So Henry-"Emma had no idea how to start this conversation. It was like she was Henry and he was her and she had to be the one to explain that fairy tales were real and everything he thought he knew was a lie. This was way easier from the other side of the fence.

"Henry, honey" Regina smiled at him and that was when Emma noticed that her lips, the lush lower and the perfectly molded upper, were unpainted. In fact, she was pretty sure that the other woman wasn't wearing any makeup at all. If anything, she was even more beautiful au-natural.

Focus, Swan.

"How long has Em-Sheriff Swan been in Storybrooke?"

Oh good question.

Henry shrugged, his eyes darted between the two of them, "For as long as anyone can remember. Just like _everyone else_ in town."

She and Regina looked at each other. She wasn't exactly sure what that meant, and neither was Regina from the look on her face, but they both knew that it was significant.

"Sn-Ms. Blanchard gave you the book?"

She had never heard Regina bumble a name, twenty-eight years of calling Snow Mary Margaret and she'd be willing to bet that Regina had never messed up. She was truly rattled by all of this.

Their linked hands were tucked between them, out of Henry's line of sight, and she rubbed her thumb over Regina's hand a little, just enough to let her know that everything was going to be okay.

"Yeah."

The curiosity was gone, now Henry was in full Operation Cobra mode. His eyes were narrow and his mouth set in a hard line. He looked just like his mother. His Operation Cobra face was almost a mirror image of Madame Mayor when she was nailing someone to the wall over an uncrossed t on their paperwork. Scary stuff.

"So you think Storybrooke is cursed?"

Regina's voice was steady, but Emma knew that she was struggling. She'd fought for a year to convince Henry that there was no curse. Admitting to it, pulling a complete 180 on the matter, couldn't be easy.

"_Your_ curse."

Regina's face fell just a little, Henry had figured out that his mom was the Evil Queen.

"And who am I?"

Emma grinned a little. She was the Savior and his birth mother, here to save the day or so the book said.

"I haven't figured that out yet."

"What?"

Both she and Regina bumbled the word out of gaping mouths.

"You're one of the only people I haven't figured out yet." He looked at her with his narrow Regina-esque eyes, "Who are you?"

Indignation filled her being. She had already broken the damn curse, saved the town, tromped through a magical forest and saved the freaking world, or at least Storybrooke, from destruction. She was either Superman or the Savior.

"I'm the Savior, Kid."

His answer was immediate and filled with so much sarcasm that she barely believed it was Henry speaking.

"No you're not."

Was this how he spoke to Regina? She got the sweet, cute, perfect son and Regina got this raging little brat? Not cool.

"She's telling you the truth, Henry. I am" Regina looked down, "The Evil Queen and Emma Swan is the Savior."

Regina's hand clenched around hers and betrayed what her carefully controlled face did not, that admission had hurt her.

"That's impossible. She's from here. She was cursed. The Savior wasn't cursed. Snow White and Prince Charming sent their daughter out into the _real _world."

Yeah, through a magical tree. Emma didn't need the cliff notes, she'd lived the story. Only the book didn't talk about how she'd popped out in the middle of nowhere and the little boy who'd grown up to be August had been a for-shit guardian. Though, in his defense he'd been a little boy at the time.

"Yeah, Kid, that all happened. This has all happened before. We're totally stuck in the worse re-make of _Groundhog's Day _ever. You came to find me, the website you stole Ms. Blanchard's credit card to use lead you right to me."

There was a sudden flash of surprise, Henry hadn't expected them to know about that.

"That didn't work. The website couldn't find my _real mom_.

Ow, that stung. Emma flinched and immediately knew that no matter how much that comment had hurt her, it had to hurt Regina ten times worse.

"Miss Swan is your birth mother, Dear."

It was back to Miss Swan and Dear again? She stole a look at Regina's face. It was placid, calm, unaffected by what she was saying. Then Emma looked at the other woman's dark eyes. They were a swirling mess of fiercely held back tears and emotions. Pain, sadness, and a small, fading fast, spark of hope. She was using Mayor-Speak because that was the only thing holding her together through all of this.

Emma clamped down on her unexpected, and powerful, urge to pull the brunette into her arms. This was all too much. Regina had lost her mother, been tortured, said a final goodbye to her son and been willing to give her life to stop the diamond, most of that within the last twenty-four hours, the woman deserved a freaking break.

"You're lying!" Henry jumped up, his arms crossed over his chest, "You always lie!"

Woah, she didn't care if his mother was the Evil Queen, he shouldn't yell at her.

"Calm down, Kid."

Henry turned his surly face on her, "Don't call me Kid, my name is Henry. I hate being called Kid."

Emma blinked, hurt and a little confused, she had always called him Kid. She thought he had liked it. It had been their thing.

"She's just using you. All this time, pretending to hate you." Henry rolled his eyes, "She probably has your heart tucked away in a box somewhere. She's evil."

"That's quite enough, Henry." Regina's voice was steady and had a finite sort of feeling that didn't allow for argument.

Mom voice, Emma reflected, she had to get her one of those.

It was a fragile sound, though, like Regina's heart truly wasn't in it. Henry had hurt her, again. True or not, hearing her son call her evil really hurt Regina.

"We've already missed the beginning of the school day, so you simply won't attend."

The Mayor was letting Henry play hooky? That was new.

Then, Emma remembered that Regina had walked into the Mines, convinced that she would never see Henry again. She had spent hours before that being tortured, close to death. Emma didn't doubt that Regina's thoughts had been of Henry then.

He wasn't playing hooky because he was late. Regina was holding him close because no matter how much of a little shit he was being at the moment, he was her son, she loved him with all of her heart and she needed him close to her after all that she'd been through.

Frankly Emma wanted him close too. There had been a minute in the mines when she had known, down to her bones that she was done for. She had thought that Henry was going to be an orphan and that she was never going to see her son again. Some family time was definitely in order. Family. Regina, Henry and her, that was what family meant to her right now. It wasn't that she didn't miss Neal, she did. She also missed her parents, as odd as that situation was. They were all her family. This, though, was something deeper and more profound. They'd been circling around it ever since Henry had brought her from Boston. She and Regina had been acting like bitterly divorced parents for months. Divorced, Emma rolled her eyes, before the first date. Still, though, it wouldn't be a family she'd fit into if it wasn't dysfunctional.

"How about," She forced herself to smile at Henry, "you guys get dressed and meet me at Granny's for a late breakfast and we can talk some more." She squeezed Regina's hand one more time before letting it go. "We can start working on Operation Cobra."

"That's a stupid name."

Emma sighed internally, no wonder Regina had been so strict all the time, the Kid had her mouth and only used manners when it suited him. A little bit of Neal was buried deep in Henry after all.

"_You_ picked it."

Regina sighed, but Emma had a feeling that she was covering a little chuckle.

"Children."

Emma had an almost over-whelming urge to stick her tongue out. She held it back, though. She was trying really hard to be a serious mom. Regina made it look so easy, but it really wasn't.

"Henry why don't you head upstairs while I show Sheriff Swan out?"

He looked between the two of him, like he didn't exactly trust them. "O-kay."

They didn't speak on their journey back to the manor's front door. It felt like everything had already been said. Emma felt like she had been sucker punched and didn't know what to say when Regina opened the front door to let her out.

Regina let the door close behind them, and Emma realized that she looked emotionally drained. She looked like Emma felt, no she actually looked worse. All Emma wanted to do was hold her. Henry didn't believe them. The Kid who had convinced her that had convinced her to accept all the curse nonsense that was their reality and now he didn't believe them. Well, he believed in the curse that was for sure. Only, this time he didn't believe in her. He believed that Regina was the Evil Queen, but she couldn't be the Savior because it wasn't the way his picture perfect book explained it to him. She sort of wished she could set that book on fire. It wasn't even the whole story, just the parts that made sure that Henry hated his mother, loved his grandparents and went off searching for her. It was just enough of the story to make Henry break his mother's heart.

She looked at Regina, and smiled a little.

"Hey."

A single tear slid down Regina's cheek and Emma leaned forward to wipe it away with the pad of her thumb. She didn't know what to say, she wasn't good with words. Emma Swan did far better with actions then with words. So she did what came naturally, she acted upon her urges. She leaned in and kissed Regina Mills. It was just as amazing as she remembered. Regina's lips slid against hers without hesitation and fell open at the first flick of her tongue. She felt Regina's hands wrap around her and was pulled closer. This was Heaven. She broke the kiss off when oxygen became an issue.

Regina looked at her with wide eyes, "What was that for?"

Why would anyone need a reason to kiss a woman as beautiful as Regina? The concept was mind boggling. She wanted to punch whoever had convinced the brunette that even a simple kiss came with a price.

Emma smiled and rested her forehead against Regina's. "Because everyone, including our son, is so busy telling you that you're evil that they don't see what I see." She rubbed circles on Regina's back, "That you're trying so damn hard to do the right thing and you're having to do it all by yourself."

"I-"Regina didn't seem to know what to say.

"What you just did in there." Emma pulled the woman flush against her, "The things you said. You would have never said that before. You tried everything in power to keep Henry and me apart." She shook her head, "but today you called me Henry's mother and yourself the Evil Queen. You told the truth, every bit of it, no matter how much it hurt you." And it had hurt. It had hurt Regina more than being tortured and more than stopping the diamond. She had shattered her own heart in there, because it had been the right thing to do.

She pecked Regina's lips again, "And that's the bravest damn thing I've ever seen. I honestly don't know if I could have done the same thing. You've changed, Regina. No matter what Henry says, you're not the Evil Queen anymore." She pulled Regina's chin up with gentle fingers so she could look into her dark eyes, "Maybe you never were."

Then she leaned in and kissed her again. She wanted to show Regina how much she cared, how proud she was of the other woman, how much she wanted her. She pressed the brunette against 108's white door and felt more then heard Regina's answering moan. The moan allowed Emma to slide her tongue inside Regina's inviting mouth. Apples and honey that were tinged with the salty tang of sadness.

She broke off the kiss and smiled at Regina's face. There were no more tears. Regina's eyes were closed and her lips were still open and a little swollen.

She leaned in and nuzzled against Regina's neck, "I'll see you at Granny's." Then she stepped back, turned and walked away with what anyone would have called a shit-eating grin on her face. The grin only grew wider when she checked her rearview mirror as she pulled away. Regina was still standing on her porch, leaned against the door, touching her lips.

Oh yeah, curse or no curse, she still had it.

Author's Note: No matter what universe or timeline he's in, Henry insists upon being a little shit!


	4. Chapter IV: The Deputy

Author's Note: Over 200 Follows and over 50 reviews...I am freaking blown away by how amazing you guys are!

Chapter IV

The Deputy

Emma drove back to the station at a much slower pace. Her head buzzed with thoughts as she made the familiar trip through town. They had saved the Storybrooke, but like everyone kept telling her, all magic came at a price. This time the price had been everyone's memories. Well, all but two. It was almost like that age old question about being stranded with one person of choice on a deserted island. A few months ago, she probably would have said anyone but Regina, but now. Now, Emma decided, that if she had to be in this truly screwed up situation, she wouldn't have it any other way. Her parents would, as they liked to say, "Find each other" again, and true love's kiss would break the curse and Storybrooke would, mostly, return to normal.

What was normal for a magical town full of fairy tales, anyway? Emma scoffed at her own joke. Normal was having breakfast with her family at the home-town Diner. She felt a dorky smile slide across her face at that thought. Maybe this whole thing, this re-cast curse, was something that was meant to happen. If it hadn't been for that moment in the mines, when they thought they were going to die, she and Regina would have never admitted that they felt something for each other. Something other than hate, at least. It had been a total Sandy-Keanu moment, except with a doom diamond instead of a bombed bus. Then there had been more. Like that one kiss had opened the floodgates. It felt like she'd been given a backstage pass and she got to meet the _real_ Regina for the first time. The Regina that desperately wanted Henry to love her, the Regina that held her hand so tight it almost hurt because she was trying not to cry. The Regina who painted her toenails and treated every kiss like it was some sort of miracle.

Not the Mayor or the Evil Queen, Regina. Emma wanted to know Regina. She wanted to have breakfast with Regina, and lunch and dinner and a very private bedroom dese- Woah, Swan. She rolled her eyes at her own rambling thoughts. She was putting the cart way the hell before the horse. They had a curse to break, again, and a ton of issues to work out. She couldn't just leap into Regina's bed and expect everything to work out. That was the old Emma Swan, the love 'em and leave 'em Emma that had floated from job to job and city to city with no roots or strings to tie her down. She didn't want to be that Emma anymore. No more than Regina wanted to be the Evil Queen.

First thing was first, they had to set everything right again. That meant breaking up Kathryn and David's marriage, and getting Snow and David together, and when she put it like that it sounded tawdry, underhanded and wrong. It meant letting an entire town full of people know that their lives were lies. Fun. Henry had made it all seem so easy. She, they, could do this, though.

They would just take things one step at a time. It would be like any other job she'd taken as a bounty hunter. First you observe, and learn everything you could about the target. Since she had already gone through this dance once and Regina had been stuck at the same Prom doing the same dance for twenty-eight years, that wouldn't be very hard. Then you maneuvered the players into position, putting them exactly where you wanted and needed them to be. Easier said than done. How had Henry managed to do it? Well, if a ten year old could pull it off, surely two grown women could do it. Then there was the take-down. No two take-downs were the same. Some went fast, some were slow-burns, some were a walk in the park and others were a run through packed city streets in three-inch heels.

This one felt like it was going to be tough. A nice long case, but at least there was going to be a big pay out at the end: her family, friends and home all back to normal. She even got a bonus, Regina. It was just another, somewhat unorthodox, job. Gather the facts, set the players and go. She pulled up to the police station and parked the cruiser back in its customary spot. She had a small bounce in her step as she made the short walk from the car to the door. She was just going to check to make sure there was no one locked up. Leroy had been at the Diner so she doubted it, but it never hurt to be thorough. Plus since Regina was probably the Mayor again, it wouldn't kill her to at least look at the huge stack of unfiled paperwork on her desk.

She rounded the corner into the main area of the office and almost hit the ground when a dart missed her by six inches.

"Holy shit!"

She fumbled with her gun and twisted so fast she could almost hear the vertebrae in her back pop in protest. The dart was buried dead center in the target that had hung neatly on the wall. She followed the dart's path back to its origin and her mouth dropped open. She had no words.

Sitting there, feet propped negligently on the corner of a desk was Graham. A dead man wearing a Deputy's uniform. Only he was very much alive, in the pink of health, looking exactly the way he had when she'd met him at Regina's manor the very first night she'd arrived.

"Graham?"

He was there, actually there, with his carefully tousled and gelled hair and his beard and his leather jacket. She had felt him die, held him in her arms as he'd taken his last breathes. How had this happened? Why? Where? What?

Then Emma realized, with a sudden and almost painful clarity, that she didn't care. She rushed across the room and grabbed the man in a full-on hug. She could smell his earthy aftershave, coffee and a lingering scent of pine trees. He smelled like she remembered he did.

"Um, good morning to you too, Emma."

He even sounded the same, his words, slightly confused, had the same effortlessly sexy accent and touch of concern.

Whatever they had done to fix Storybrooke had brought Graham back from the dead. If nothing else, that made everything worth it.

She let him go, "I uh-"How did she explain to a perfectly fit man that he had been dead? "missed you?"

Oh so smooth.

"Right. You must have really had too much to drink last night. I told Ruby to cut you off at two but you pulled rank on me."

He grinned, "But since I heard you roar off this morning to take first patrol I figured you weren't that hung-over."

Drinking last night? Right, cursed memories that she didn't have. It couldn't have been that different then the few times they had actually gone drinking. She wandered to her office to sit down and think for a moment and could feel Graham's eyes track her the whole way.

If they had reset the curse, it wasn't about where they were, it was all about when they were, she supposed. Oh this was some _Doctor Who,_ _Stargate SG1, Quantum Leap_ bullshit. She didn't even like sci-fi, she'd just had to share her TV privileges with too many nerds when she'd bounced between foster homes. She didn't even understand all the time travel rules. If this was time travel, magic was confusing as hell. One minute she had been fighting to keep a diamond with enough power to erase an entire town and its population off the map under control and the next she was back to square one in Storybrooke circa her first week there.

The clock. She pushed her hand through her hair, Henry had told her that the town's clock hadn't started working until she arrived.

"Hey Graham?"

He looked up from his paperwork, "Need an aspirin?"

She rolled her eyes, "Have we got any complaints about the clock tower not working?"

He cocked his head to the side, "The clock tower?" He shook his head, "That old things been ticking away without a hitch for as long as anyone can remember."

She was going to get really tired of that answer really fast.

Okay, Emma tried to work past the shock of seeing Graham again. She had things to do. Step One, she reminded herself, was info gathering.

What did she know? The Curse was unbroken or re-cast or reset or whatever. People didn't remember that they were fairy tale characters. David was still married to Kathryn, Mary Margret was a single female school teacher, and she was the Sheriff and had been for as long as anyone could remember. Graham was her deputy, which was a total role-reversal. The curse had re-adjusted their roles, it had adapted and overcome her presence. The Curse was like Skynet or something, it had some kind of intelligence. Thank you, Mikey R. for the _Terminator_ Marathon back in the day. She rubbed her temples, or had it been her and Regina? Or was it Gold? Or something or someone else?

She got out a blank legal pad. She usually just doodled on them, but now she had actual work to do. She needed to write her thoughts down to straighten them out before she confused herself again.

One: Graham was alive, again. How? Why? Were there spells to bring people back from the dead? Regina would know.

Regina. Emma glanced at the wall clock, she had a few minutes to kill before she needed to meet Regina and Henry at the Diner

Two: Greg and Tamara were in town, and apparently under the same curse everyone else was. She needed to find out who they were and what they did immediately. Those two, cursed or not, were a threat and there was no way in hell she was letting them run around town unsupervised.

Three: Gold. They needed to find out what, if anything, he remembered. Henry's grandfather or not, she didn't trust the man farther then she could throw him.

She tapped her pen on the desk and tried to think. She hadn't gone to the Police Academy, and neither had Graham, but they were the entirety of the Storybrooke Police Force and this was their biggest case ever. It was a good thing she had watched every episode of _Law and Order _at least twice. She and Neal had spent hours watching the show and laughing at the bumbling criminals-Neal. Emma sat up strait, was Neal here? Was he back in Storybrooke, alive and well? If Graham could come back, why not Neal?

"Hey Graham?"

The man, who had been tossing darts again, twisted around and lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Have you seen Neal lately?"

Now he did look at her like she'd had one too many. "I know everyone in town and there's no one named Neal, Emma."

Damn.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Oh yeah, she was freaking peachy. The father of her son had been shot and fallen into a swirling green hole of doom and she had moved Heaven and Earth to save a town and in some crazy miracle, it had worked. Except for Neal. Of course, that was her luck.

"Fine."

He didn't look convinced, not even a little bit. Hell, _she_ knew she was lying, no super power needed.

"I actually have a breakfast meeting with the Mayor here in a bit. Can you hold down the fort here?"

He grinned, that boyish grin that melted girls' hearts left and right, "It's awful early for Leroy or Lacey to cause trouble, so I should be fine."

Right, the curse meant that the only trouble in town revolved around alcohol and traffic violations. No lynch mobs, no murders, no wraiths or bean fields to watch.

"Just try not to piss her off too much today."

What was that supposed to mean?

"What's that supposed to mean, _Humbert_?"

God, she'd missed teasing him.

"Regina. Just one week, Emma. That's all I'm asking for. Just one week without her burying us in paperwork, that you make me do, because you've wound her up."

Yeah, she scowled bitterly, winding Regina up had been his old job, hadn't it? Now that the curse was back, did he still think he needed to visit Regina twice a week? If he did, he was about to be quickly re-educated.

"I know how she can be."

No he didn't, not anymore. The woman Graham had known, biblically, was no more.

"It'll be fine. We've come to an understanding." With their lips.

He chuckled, "You two? An understanding? Emma you and Regina have been circling each other like boxers for, well, ever."

That would piss her off, except for the fact that his statement was one-hundred percent right. They had actually exchanged punches. Not that Graham remembered that, apparently.

"Well you know what they say, Deputy. There is a thin line between love and hate."

She left him to ponder that and walked out the door, her scribbled upon pad in hand. She was more than ready for pancakes, cocoa and the little slice of relative normalcy that Regina and her shared knowledge of what had really happened to their town would bring her.

AN2: In my head cannon Emma has a potty-mouth and is always making pop culture references that nobody gets. Also, yes, Graham is alive. It will be explained, just roll with it for now, Dearies.


	5. Chapter V: The Doctor

Author's Note: 268 followers? Seriously?! I'm not going to type what I said when I saw this for fear of booting me for profanity, but WOW. You guys are just...WOW.

Chapter V

The Doctor

It didn't take long to finish getting dressed. She added stocking and heels, applied makeup and styled her hair with little conscious thought. It was a good thing she was so set in her routines, because her thoughts were a mess and she honestly couldn't spare a thought to what she was physically doing.

She and Emma had held hands and kissed. Again. There had been no impending death or unstoppable doom. Emma had just kissed her and she had kissed the other woman back. She had kissed before: Daniel, Leopold, Graham, but she had never kissed another woman. She wasn't opposed to it, of course. She appreciated the female form just as much as she did the male. She had never sought out a female companion, though. Not that she had sought Emma out, it had just happened, and she desperately wanted it to happen again.

Love is weakness, her mother's mantra echoed in her head and heart and her hands fumbled her bottle of mousse. Love? Oh definitely not. She didn't hate Emma anymore, and she enjoyed kissing her, but that was it. She was grateful that Emma loved their son and that she had helped her. That was definitly it. She just had a small case of hero-worship. It happened. It was the sort of here-then-gone attraction that happened in the movies when the gun-slinging hero swooped in to save the helpless screaming woman. An instant smoldering lust that was what it had to be.

Regina gave her hair one last fluff and looked herself over in the mirror. She was not helpless. She was a Queen, she had brought an entire realm to its knees. She certainly didn't need Emma Swan to rescue her (again). She was an independent, self-assured, confident woman who had a powerful and important career and a son that she had raised on her own for ten years. She didn't need Emma. So why did she want her so much? Why did her knees turn to jelly every time Emma was around? Why did she want to run into her arms? Why had she run into her arms? Right in the middle of her front yard where anyone could see. Where Henry had seen them.

Lust, she reminded herself. She had felt the potent punch of lust in her belly from the very beginning. Emma in her tight jeans and mannish tank top and that truly awful, yet undeniably attractive, off-the-rack red pleather jacket. She had always assumed that Henry's birth mother had been some grubby, drugged out, street walker, so when the fit and beautiful blonde had shrugged at her she had momentarily lost her ability to speak. It hadn't lasted long, of course. Emma had inserted herself into their lives. She had assaulted her apple tree, and had been so devastatingly sexy while doing so that Regina had frozen for a moment at the window. She had stolen Henry away and yet there was still something between them. No matter how hard she had denied it, and she had been vehemently denying it, shewas attracted to the woman.

It, apparently, had not been as one sided as she had assumed.

She smiled a little as she went to retrieve her purse. Emma had held her hand. No one had held her hand in years, not since Daniel. It was such a simple thing, an innocent gesture, it shouldn't have made her heart flutter. Her heart hadn't just fluttered when Emma had kissed her.

"You're not the Evil Queen anymore."

Oh her heart had momentarily soared at that. Emma believed that she had changed. Not even Henry had really believed that she had changed.

"Maybe you never were."

Oh God, she had barely contained herself at that. She had been boneless, putty in Emma's hands. Her words, sweet and beautiful, had almost broken her. No one, not a single person, had ever said anything like that to her. Most people reveled in reminding her that she had been, was and would always be evil. Even Emma had said she would always be.

No. Regina shook her head to clear away that thought. That had been before and she had a feeling that maybe Emma hadn't really meant it. Not that it hadn't hurt at the time. It was a terrifying realization, Emma could break through every single wall she had ever relied on with just a few words.

The woman was dangerous. She was an undeniable threat to Regina's already aching heart.

Love is weakness.

Yes, Regina knew that her feelings, whatever they were, for Emma were making her weak. Her heart was trying to betray her all over again.

She wasn't sure she could go through this all over again. She had barely survived her last go-round with love.

"Are you ready to go?"

She blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes and turned to see Henry, dressed in dark blue jeans and a plaid shirt covered by a tan sweater. His book was, predictably, tucked under his arm.

"Yes, Sweetheart."

She reached out and smoothed down his cowlick and smiled when he allowed the touch.

"Let's go get breakfast."

They walked out to her Mercedes and Henry climbed in the back and buckled up without another word. He opened his book almost immediately and she didn't have to look in her rearview mirror to know that he was staring at one of the eerily accurate illustrations of her as The Evil Queen.

That was not who she was anymore. She had never wanted to be a queen, let alone an evil one. She'd had simple dreams. She and Daniel had spoken about starting a farm where they could breed and raise horses. The finest horses in the kingdom, they would have boasted. All she had wanted was to be the wife of a stable boy, and mother to his children.

She started the car and backed out automatically checking behind her despite knowing that nobody but her was ever this far up Mifflin Lane.

She and Daniel had never had a chance, she saw that now. It had been foolish to think that her mother would allow her to be anything other than a queen. She had been told, from the time she was an infant she was sure, that she was going to be a queen. So she had become a Queen, and had hated it. By the times she had killed Leopold-

Leopold, who was Emma's grandfather. Emma, who had given her Henry. Emma who had kissed her senseless, who had left her wanting so much more. Emma who had held her while the world had crashed down around them. Emma who had held her hand while she had bared her bruised and battered soul to their son. Emma-

A loud and long car horn startled her out of her thoughts. She had just breezed through the Mifflin-Main Street intersection without stopping. She had never not stopped there. The stop sign had been there for twenty-eight years and she had _never_ missed it.

"Mom!"

Henry was in the car with her. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, aghast. What had she been thinking? Henry could have been hurt, he could have been killed. Because his mother, the woman entrusted with his very life, had been daydreaming about her lover.

Lover? Well, that was certainly stretching things a bit. She and Emma, Miss or Sheriff Swan, she reminded herself, were not lovers. They had kissed, but that was all. She had not welcomed the other woman into her bed.

She parked at Granny's and tried to push the images of Emma Swan naked and spread across her silk sheets, out of her head. Heat enveloped her and she could feel her heartbeat pounding all over her body. She refused to acknowledge that she had added "yet" to the end of that thought.

"Are you okay?"

She could see Henry's too-serious face in her rearview mirror.

No, she was definitely not okay.

"Yes, Dear, I'm fine."

Her son did not look impressed with her reassurances. Had he inherited his birth mother's uncanny ability to know when people were lying? She heard more then saw him unbuckling and she turned off the car and unbuckled herself. She got out of the car and automatically straitened her dress. She took a moment to compose herself. The curse was back in play. No one would scowl at her, or try to form a lynch mob when she showed her face. She was their mayor again, tough but fair. She was respected and a little bit feared, but that was what power was, wasn't it? She was Regina Mills, mayor and mother, not the Evil Queen. She was going to walk in and Ruby was going to take her order and smirk when she caught Regina subtly staring at her miles of bare legs. She would drink her coffee and Henry would have cocoa and Emma would sit down with them (and stare at Ruby a little less subtly then she did), and they would have a real family breakfast.

Family, Regina felt a smile forming. When had she started to think of Emma as family and why did it make her so happy?

Henry ran ahead of her and she let him. It wasn't as if there were any danger. A cursed Storybrooke was a safe Storybrooke. A mind-numbingly boring and madness-inducing repetitive little town that held no danger for her little boy.

She smiled at the idea of Storybrooke for the first time since the beginning. It all felt fresh again, even the annoying bells above Granny's door sounded more cheerful.

"Hey Grandma!"

Regina blinked. Why would Henry call Sno-Mary Margaret Grandma if he didn't believe Emma was his mother? Not to mention Mary Margaret wouldn't think she was his grandmother.

"Hello, Dear."

Regina felt her breath catch in her chest. She knew that voice.

She looked at the counter and there was a sudden roaring in her ears.

Henry was hugging, as in his arms wrapped around, a woman. A woman with her brown hair styled in a careful bun. A woman wearing a white coat and a dark blue knee length skirt and a pale blue silk shirt. A woman whose form and posture were as familiar as her own. It was impossible, unthinkable, ridiculous and not happening. It simply was not happening. No magic could do this. Not even True Love's Kiss. Regina couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. She couldn't hear, but could read the other woman's scarlet lips as she spoke to Henry.

"Why aren't you in school, Dear?"

She couldn't see Henry's lips but knew his answer.

Then familiar dark brown eyes turned to look at her and Regina felt every bit of blood drain from her face.

No, she was dreaming or halucinating, or seeing ghosts, because there was no way she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. The dead did not come back to life. She had all but sold her sould trying to find a way to bring back Daniel only to find again and again that it was impossible. Black dots started to dance in her eyes and she felt a strange buzzing in her limbs. She could not deny what she was seeing. She could not comprehend it, but it had happened. She was sitting in the middle of the Diner as if it was her everyday routine. She had never even, Regina thought vaugly, been inside of Granny's.

"Mother?"

Cora Mills, alive and in the flesh, stood up from her stool, abandoning her tea cup and walking towards her, concern etched into her face. Regina could read, only barely, the writing on her white coat.

Cora Mills, MD. The thing that caught her attention and drew a hysterical laugh out of her lips was what was written underneath the name, though: Head of Cardiology.

This was not happening. It simply wasn't real. Henry had never met her mother, and Regina thanked whatever God would still listen to her for it. She had sworn that she would never hurt Henry, and Cora would have definitely hurt him. It was her way, her heartless approach to being a mother. She would have cut her sweet boy down with words, magic, carefully placed bruises and cuts and she had refused to let that happen. She had never, ever, wanted Henry to grow up the way she had. When she had returned to her mother's side, she had been conflicted. She hadn't been sure what she was going to do, or how she was going to protect him from his own grandmother. She loved her mother, but feared her. It had been one of the endless complexities of her life. One of the impossible problems that she hadn't discovered an answer for.

She couldn't breathe and her head was full of fast, panicked thoughts and a deafening roar. She wanted Emma. That thought, added to the already frantic mess of something too close to panic for comfort about her mother, was simply too much to process.

Evil Queens do not faint.

Mayors do not faint.

Regina Mills fell into a dead faint in the middle of Granny's Diner.

AN2: No, that is most certainly not a joke. Cora Mills is very much alive and very much a heart surgeon. Also yes, everyone stares at Ruby's legs. It's practically a law in Storybrooke. Everyone still with me?


	6. Chapter VI: The Diner

Author's Note: Over 300 followers, over 100 reviews and so much Cora-love that my computer and cell phone almost exploded! Thanks, everyone, you guys are awesome and this story wouldn't have continued on without your encouragment!

Chapter VI

The Diner

Awareness came slowly, like the fog that crept over the harbor on chilly mornings. Someone was calling her name and it echoed oddly in her head. She felt limp, empty, exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to slide back into the dark of unconsciousness. Only, she knew, that was weakness. Regina Mills was many things, but weak was not one of them.

She forced herself to open her eyes and winced at the pain that bright light brought to her eyes. It took her a moment to focus and she was annoyed to find fingers in front of her face.

"How many fingers, Regina?"

Why were there people in her bedroom? It hit her like a foul tempered stallion's kick, she was not in her bed. She was not in her home. She was lying on the floor of Granny's. She had never, in her life, lost consciousness, even when she had prayed to every higher power she knew of to do so. Not until she had been strapped down and electrocuted at least. Was she still feeling the after-effects from that? She had no apparent burns, but the memory was still-

"Regina!"

She tried to sit up but was pushed back down, "How many fingers, Dear?"

"Three." She didn't need any medical attention, just a moment to breathe, and maybe a very stiff drink. "My vision and hearing are perfect." She didn't bother to curb her tone, she wanted the inane questions to stop.

Her mother's face, a woman back from the dead yet again, looked down at her.

"Your sass is neither needed nor appreciated, Regina Xaveria Mills."

Regina cringed, she had not heard her middle name, given to her to honor her paternal grandfather, in years. Not since long before the first time her mother had "died". Nothing good had ever come after hearing her full name. Regina suppressed the urge to shiver and instead focused on the questions being asked.

"Who is the President of the United States?"

Really? Regina rolled her eyes, but bit back her sarcasm and simply replied, "Barack Obama."

"And today's date?"

She had absolutely no idea. The days had all blended into one endless mass of sameness during the curse. She had only started taking real notice of them when Henry had arrived in her life. She knew the date that it should be, but wasn't sure if it anyone else knew it was that date. If she didn't answer properly, her mother would probably continue to hold her down on the suspiciously sticky tile floor.

"Mother, I'm fine. Please let me get off the floor."

"She's been acting weird all morning, Grandma. Ever since Sheriff Swan showed up at our house."

Regina sat up and rubbed the crick in her neck that had been bothering her since before the mines. Marco and Archie both offered her a hand and they helped her to her feet. She felt a little woozy and her knees were watery but the shame and embarrassment of losing her facilities in front of the entire town far outweighed the physical discomfort. She was quickly seated, all but pushed down, in one of the booth seats of an empty table.

Not satisfied, apparently, her mother knelt in front of her. She held a single scarlet-tipped finger up, "Follow my finger with your eyes, Dear."

Regina followed her mother's finger but her attention was on the other woman's face. It was the same shape and the laugh and worry lines were just the same as they had been. There was a different expression on the familiar features, though. Concern, care, worry. These were soft, loving emotions that Regina had never associated with Cora. Not until the very end, the sudden smile that had lit up her world. Her mother had smiled at her just before she had collapsed into her arms to die.

Did her mother have her heart? Her answer came in the form of being suddenly engulfed in a hug.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again, Sweetheart."

She didn't know what do with her arms and hands. She could count the number of times her mother had hugged her on one hand and have fingers left over. After a moment of hesitation she wrapped her arms around her mother and returned the embrace. Cora, her mother, was soft, warm and she smelled of French perfume layered over alcohol and latex. Her mother smelled like the doctor the curse had turned her into.

"Regina?"

She turned her head, arms still wrapped around her mother, and saw Emma standing at the Diner's door. A smile spread across her face at the sight of the bemused blonde. Her heart gave another lurch but the small dose of fear that usually came with it was strangely absent.

Her mother turned at Emma's word and she watched every ounce of warmth drain from Cora's face.

"_You_."

Her arms stiffened around Regina's waist then released and pulled away.

"Cora?"

Regina met Emma's eyes but couldn't force words out of her suddenly tight throat.

Images of Daniel and her mother flashed before her eyes in terrible Technicolor.

Her mind's eye painted in the gruesome details. Her mother could lunge forward and take Emma's heart without batting an eye. She would crush it right before her eyes and Regina would be alone, again.

"Mom" A familiar that she had rarely used to address Cora, "don't."

Her voice sounded strangled and wispy, weak and scared. If she wasn't so terrified for Emma she would be ashamed of herself for letting people see her in such a state.

Emma moved towards her, a hand already reaching for her. "Are you okay?"

"She's fine, no thanks to you."

It was almost cute, the way Emma's mouth fell open and then shut again, only to open one more time. She looked like a fish out of water.

"What?"

Ah, the Savior could speak.

"My grandson just told me that you barged into my daughter's home this morning. You must have had some extremely important business to bother a single mother and her son on a Tuesday at seven-thirty am."

"I-"Emma couldn't exactly say why she had really been there and Regina winced.

"Honestly, Sheriff, you couldn't wait until office hours to start _harassing_ my daughter?" She drew herself up to her full height and Regina saw the motions and facial expression the Queen of Hearts replace the softness of her cursed mother. It was a chilling sight. "You must have had something very important, dire even. Exciting enough to keep my grandson home from school and upset his mother to the point of _sickness_. What was so important, Sheriff Swan? Please-"She threw a hand across the room, acknowledging the fact that everyone in the eatery had been none-too-subtly watching their conversation play out, "enlighten us."

"Mother." She had been here before. The cold fury, the calculated words, the predatory look in her brown eyes, her mother was furious and Emma was, apparently, the target of her legendary fury.

"Listen, Cora-"

"Dr. Mills." Cora's voice snapped and several people in the Diner jerked at the sound.

Ah, Regina blinked, her mother still had more than her fair share of the Mills pride and temper.

Emma's lips twitched and Regina watched the other woman's blue-green eyes travel up and down her mother's body. She knew exactly when Emma saw the 'Head of Cardiology' embellishment on her mother's white coat because Emma chuckled.

"You think this is funny?"

Oh no. The fear, the sudden paralyzing terror that had gripped her had dissipated, but at this point Regina wasn't sure if she would be able to get a word in edge-wise. Once her mother got angry, it didn't fade away and Emma was just hard-headed enough to continue to goad her.

"Lady, you have _no idea_."

Regina stood and was pleased to find that her knees held her weight. "Stop it, both of you. Mother, Sheriff Swan and I are having a working breakfast this morning. So if you would stop yelling at her, I would appreciate it."

She had never, ever, been bold enough to speak to her mother like that.

"Regina, Sweetheart, you should really come with me to the hospital so Victor can give you a physical. Swan can go back to her office and eat doughnuts with her actually useful deputy. God only knows why we elected that blonde_ idiot _instead of Graham. She has done nothing but undermine you for as long as anyone can remember."

Graham?

She found Emma's eyes again and the woman gave a small nod.

Graham was alive again. The curse had, somehow, brought both Graham and her mother back from the dead. Had it been the curse, Regina wondered, or them? Had her and Emma's combined magic done this? She had no idea.

"I'm hungry. Can we order now?"

Henry's impatient question was enough to break the tension that had everyone in the Diner on the edge of their seats.

"Of course, Henry Dear." Cora gave the ten year old a warm smile. Come sit with your mother. If Sheriff Swan insists on joining us she may sit beside me." She snapped her head to the side, "We're ready to order if Miss Lucas is done cozying up to her _drinking buddy_."

* * *

Chaos, utter fucking chaos. She had just wanted a nice, calm breakfast with Regina and Henry, but walked into a complete mess. Feelings knocked her over the head the second she walked into Granny's. Regina was wrapped up in a hug and for a moment, Emma felt the bite of jealousy. Then Regina smiled at her over the other woman's shoulder and the jealousy melted away.

For about thirty seconds, everything was fine.

Then the woman let Regina go and Emma found herself staring at Cora Mills, the Queen of Hearts, back from the dead.

Her first reaction to Graham's resurrection had been joy. Her reaction to Cora's was horror. Why in the name of all that was good and fuzzy had the curse brought the heart-obsessed she-bitch back from the grave?

She immediately felt bad about her thoughts. Certifiably insane and evil or not, Cora was Regina's mother.

"You."

Oh hell. This was what she got for being nice. Another Mills woman glaring at her like she was lower than the dirt sticking to her Monolo Blanecs.

"Cora?"

It was really her, right? Like, the actual Cora and not someone pretending to be her? There was kind of a precedence for Cora-Identity-Confusion after all.

"Mom don't."

Regina sounded _wrong_. Emma switched her attention to the other Mills woman. Regina, who had been perfectly fine thirty minutes ago, looked pale and drawn. Her eyes were wide and she looked downright shaky. She reached out to touch the woman, to check on her, to reassure her that everything was okay.

"Are you okay?" Because having your mother pull a Jesus-esque return from the grave was totally normal. That's when Cora rounded on her, eyes sharp and a vicious shade of bitter chocolate brown. Her expression, a barely controlled snarl, was eerily reminiscent of the one she'd had during their fight by Lake Nostos.

"She's fine, no thanks to you."

What the fuck?

"What?" She applauded herself for censoring her language, Henry was standing there, after all.

"My grandson just told me that you barged into my daughter's home this morning. You must have had some extremely important business to bother a single mother and her son on a Tuesday at seven-thirty am."

"I-"What was she supposed to say? I was running to check on my son and his mother because we just stopped an incredibly powerful magical item from destroying the town, you crazy undead-again bitch. As accurate as that statement was, it probably wouldn't go over well.

"Honestly, Sheriff, you couldn't wait until office hours to start harassing my daughter?"

Was she serious? _She_ was the one who harassed Regina? Was she hearing that correctly? Either death had seriously messed up Cora's brain or this new Storybrooke was way more interesting then she had imagined.

You must have had something very important, dire even. Exciting enough to keep my grandson home from school and upset his mother to the point of _sickness_. What was so important, Sheriff Swan? Please enlighten us."

Cora threw her arm out and Emma quickly realized that everyone in the Diner was watching them. Granny's Diner: Come for the coffee, stay for the show, and don't forget to tip your favorite werewolf waitress.

"Mother." Emma stole a glance at Regina, the color had returned to her face and her voice was stronger now. As messed up as Emma thought the situation was, and it was pretty messed up even for Storybrooke, she couldn't imagined what all was going through Regina's head.

"Listen Cora." She just wanted breakfast with her son and her Regina. Was that too much to ask? Honestly, she had saved the world, were pancakes really asking too much? Wait a second, since when was Regina hers?

Focus, Swan.

"Dr. Mills." Cora's voice was ice, her eyes were fire and Emma had to remind herself that the woman couldn't remove her heart, there was no magic in Storybrooke. Wait, doctor? She looked the elder Mills witch over. She was dressed like a rich business woman except for the coat. She wore a white doctor's coat with her name stitched in it. She did a mental double take. Head of Cardiology, wait seriously? Cora, the Queen of Hearts, Mills was a freaking heart doctor? All of the absurdity of her life, the princess stories, dwarves, fairy dust and magic, had nothing on this. She couldn't help it, she chuckled. This was some prime-time sit-com ha-ha funny shit.

"You think this is funny?"

Hell yes, she thought it was hilarious. If nothing else,_ this_ made the curse totally worth it. "Lady, you have no idea."

That was when Regina stood up and started to break them up using her firm mayor voice to cut through the tension and bullshit.

Emma hooked her thumbs into her pockets and looked around the Diner. Yep, everyone was still watching them. Even Ruby and Lacey were watching with matching grins on their oddly close together faces. Ruby's wink told Emma that this sort of tete-a-tete with the Mills were, apparently, common for her. She looked around the room, cataloging the other faces she saw. She knew them all, of course. These were the people that had accepted her as one of their own. Archie and Marco, Granny, Ashley and little Alexandra. These were, as corny as it sounded, her people.

"Regina, Sweetheart, you should really come with me to the hospital so Victor can give you a physical."

And let Dr. Frankenstein cop a feel? Not happening. Whale might not remember who he was and what he had done, but Emma did. The image of him with his hands poised to wrap around Regina's neck had haunted her the entire time she'd been trekking through the Enchanted Forest.

Swan can go back to her office and eat doughnuts with her actually useful deputy. God only knows why we elected that blonde_ idiot _instead of Graham. She has done nothing but undermine you for as long as anyone can remember."

When Regina's eyes met hers, Emma saw everything in them. The fear, the hope, the amazement, the question. She had hoped to tell Regina that Graham was alive herself. It was a good thing, damn it, and she had wanted to be the one to tell the other woman. Fucking Cora. Emma nodded as an answer and knew that they would talk about Cora, Graham and how the hell they had both risen from the grave at a later time.

"I'm hungry." God bless her spoiled brat of a son. "Can we order now?"

Cora answered for them and a cold chill shot up Emma's spine when she spoke to Henry. There was no Queen of Hearts here. Cora spoke to Henry the same way Snow had: soft, gentle, loving and sweet, like a grandmother was supposed to. Henry grinned at the woman that he remembered being his grandmother. What kind of memories had the curse given The Kid?

Emma moved closer to the booth to sit, intent on holding Regina's hand under the table.

"If Sheriff Swan insists on joining us, she may sit with me."

Emma rolled her eyes and heaved a silent sigh. Even cursed, Cora hated her guts.

She couldn't help but smile across the table at Regina, though. Madame Mayor was the only part of this crazy dog-and-pony show that made any sense anymore. Her heart gave an odd thud when Regina smiled back at her.

Talk was stilted, and Cora didn't help by being well, herself. She was rude to Ruby, sent downright bitchy glares across the room at Lacey and actually ordered for Regina.

"Plenty of carbohydrates and protein with the least amount of grease possible from this shack. You look peaked, Dear. When was the last time you ate?"

Emma met Regina's eyes over the table. Yes, when had been the last time Regina had eaten anything? She hadn't been able to stomach anything after being tortured. Snow had offered, but Regina had paled at the mere mention of food. She rarely ate a full breakfast, Emma knew, so the last time the brunette had the chance to eat had been the day before yesterday, and Emma wasn't even sure about that.

Regina only shrugged as an answer, but Emma felt her heart speed up a little at the implication that even Regina did not remember the last time she'd eaten. Well, a bitter voice in her own head remarked, you remember how delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner for one can be. Why bother eating at all if Henry wasn't there?

Wow, conscience, low blow.

The food came, hot and delicious, with only a little snark, mostly pointed at Dr. Mills, on Ruby's part.

The conversation was mostly handled by and centered upon Henry. Cora was up-to-date on everything in the boy's life and doted on him. Emma ached to reach across the table and take Regina's hand because from the look on her face, she was only barely holding it together. When, exactly, had the Queen of Hearts become Grandmother of the Year? Emma doubted that Cora and Regina had shared many fuzzy mother-daughter feelings and moments. It didn't seem fair.

All good, or extremely uncomfortable, things had to come to an end eventually. Cora looked at her watch and sighed, "I have to go, Dears." She pulled the bill off the table without looking at it and rose without sparing a glance at Emma. "I want you to go home and rest, Sweetheart." She smiled at Regina, "Doctor's orders."

She bent down to lay a kiss on Henry's hair and turned to leave. She paused, though, and sent Emma a glare, "Sheriff."

Full of pancakey goodness, Emma only smirked back at her, "Doctor."

Cora paid the bill, left a somewhat paltry tip, Emma would add an additional five to it because Ruby lived almost exclusively off her tips, and was gone.

Henry, a little hyper from the massive amounts of maple syrup he'd dumped on his pancakes, fidgeted in his seat.

"Yes," Regina answered a question he hadn't even asked yet. "You may go across the street and pick out whichever comic books you want." She handed a Storybrooke Savings and Loan debit card to the ten year old, "I'll be over in just a minute."

Henry was up, out of the Diner and gone without even a thank you.

No wonder the kid was a brat, Regina had spoiled him rotten. That issue could and would be discussed at a later date. She and Regina were finally alone again and Emma reached across the table and ran her hand down Regina's arm. Days ago this touch would have earned her a glare if not a magical punch in th chops. Now Regina's face softened, and a small smile bloomed on her face.

"You okay?"

That was a stupid question, and Emma knew it. There was no way that Regina was okay. She had just, on top of everything else that had happened, found out that her mother and ex-lover were back among the living in the re-cursed town that they both called home.

"Of course."

Not that she would admit that she wasn't okay. She was still Regina Mills, after all, and Madame Mayor never admitted weakness or defeat. She was a fighter, something that Emma had always appreciated, even when they were fighting each other.

"I need to go-Henry."

Emma nodded, "I'll come over tonight and we'll talk."

It wasn't a question, she was doing exactly the thing Regina had always accused her of, barging in uninvited.

"That sounds-"

And here it came, the Regina Mills kiss-off.

"lovely."

Regina stood to leave and Emma immediately wished that she was going with the other woman. She watched Regina walk away, one of her favorite past-times, and grinned. Her grin grew even wider when Regina paused at the door, looked back at her and winked.

Emma's mouth dropped open. How long had Regina known that she stared, and how often had the extra swing in her hips been for her benefit?

She chuckled again and stretched her legs out across the booth. Curse or no curse, life in Storybrooke was never going to be boring for her.


	7. Chapter VII: The Window

Author's Note: This turned into two chapters without my permission lol.

Chapter VII

The Window

There was a 1983 vintage cherry red Porsche 944 parked in Regina's driveway, taking up the space that _should_ have been reserved for her beloved Bug. Emma knew, down to her bones, that it was Mommy Dearest's car. On the one hand, she was kind of glad. Cora obviously wasn't evil here, a bitch sure, but not evil. Regina had never had a mother with a heart, literally, so Emma didn't begrudge her that. It was like her and Snow, almost. Besides, Regina had been through a lot lately and deserved a little TLC. Though, Emma would have preferred to be the one to comfort her. Which was the problem, there was no way Cora was going to let her waltz in and start kissing her daughter. Even if magic didn't exist in Cursed Storybrooke, she would probably still rip her heart out. The woman was a surgeon, she probably knew all kinds of nasty medical tricks.

"Couldn't you wait for business hours?" Cora had all but spat the words at her.

What kind of Evil Queen kept office hours, anyway? The first time she'd seen Regina it had been way after hours. It had been after dark and she'd still been dressed to the nines, tears in her eyes, and she'd looked absolutely gorgeous.

Emma had told Regina she'd come over and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her, not even the Queen of Hearts. So she rolled past 108 Mifflin Street and parked her beloved car in the same clearing she had used during the first Operation Cobra. She had to cut through a couple of backyards and some undergrowth but she found herself in Regina's perfectly manicured backyard in a few minutes. The first time she'd taken this route, she'd been lugging a chainsaw. She looked at the now infamous apple tree and blinked, momentarily confused. There was still a limb missing. The curse could bring people back, but apparently yard work was too much for it. Wimpy-ass curse. Why hadn't the tree just reset like the rest of the town? Oh, who understood all the magic shit anyway?

Well, Regina probably did.

Emma ran her hand across the scarred tree bark. Regina had been so ungodly pissed that day. She was spectacular when she was angry. Emma had been floored by her perfect scowling face and her eyes. Oh, her eyes. There had been an unadulterated rage that had burned high and hot in chocolate brown orbs, and it had all been pointed at her. Fantastic, amazing, undeniably beautiful: Regina Mills was in a class all her own. Emma had stood up to the snarling, cursing Mayor, delivered her ultimatum and left. She had walked away with more hormones singing through her veins then she had ever felt before. Lust had burned through her like a wildfire. She had wanted to grab Regina, throw her against the damn tree and kiss her until her eyes burnt with a completely different passion.

Emma looked up at the white mansion and counted windows. She knew where Henry's room was and had a pretty good idea where Regina's should be. Getting up there would be the tough part. She looked at the tree closest to the house, the one near Henry's window. Piece of cake. She hadn't snuck into or out of a house in years, not since escaping her last foster home. She left one tree with a friendly pat, and walked towards the other.

She could do this. The bark was rough under her hands. The lowest branch was as high as her shoulder. This, Emma told herself, would be as easy as falling out of a tree. No sweat. She pulled herself up onto the first branch and was dismayed to find herself struggling.

Less bear claws, more cardio, Swan.

She stood on the thick branch and was very glad she'd worn her boots. She climbed to the next branch with slightly less huffing and puffing. The third and last branch she needed to climb was high above her head. Great. She braced herself against the tree's sturdy trunk and hoped she wasn't about to do something stupid. She reached up and wrapped her hands around the higher branch and tried the shimmy up the trunk.

She was _really _glad it was night, because she would die of embarrassment if anyone saw her struggling to climb a tree. _Henry_ could go up and down this thing like it was nothing.

She pulled herself up and grunted with the effort. She hung for a moment, like a fat kid in gym class, and then wrapped her legs around the branch. Now she was hanging upside down, like she was some kind of sloth from the Animal Planet shows that Mary Margaret watched religiously. She twisted around and felt her abs burn with the movement. She pulled herself right side up on the branch and sat for a moment to enjoy her victory. She was finally on the branch she needed to be on. Regina was going to owe her a big kiss for all this effort.

She stood, hands braced on the trunk. It was just a hop, skip and a jump to the roof. Well, actually, it was like ten feet across a rickety-ass, narrow tree branch with no hand-holds. Just think of all of those years of gymnastics training you never had, Swan. Emma smiled at her own joke.

She pushed fear and corny jokes aside and pulled herself up to stand, using the trunk to steady herself.

A big kiss with tongue, Emma reminded herself, and maybe a nice, long and in-depth exploration of Mayor Mills' amazing ass.

She edged forward and quickly lost the safety of the tree trunk. She was really twisting in the wind now. One foot in front of the other, arms spread for balance and don't look down. Easier said than done. She had done this a million times as a kid. Higher heights, narrower ledges: she'd been fearless and invulnerable in her own mind. She'd been an extremely lucky idiot. It was a Charming family trait, or so she'd heard.

She wobbled, bit her lip to keep from shrieking like a girl as she fought for balance. Her arms wind milled and she stumbled forward step after shaky step until her boot hit air. Oh this was going to hurt. She fell onto the roof and for a moment was shocked that she had made it. She had made an ungodly amount of noise, but she had made it.

There was only one window on this side of the house with lights on and she eased towards it. She peeked in and lost her breathe just as abruptly as she would have if she'd hit the ground. Regina sat on the side of her bed clad only in a soft gray nightdress that reached her knees. It was a soft, feminine sort of thing that had been made with the intention of making the wearer look delectable. She was rubbing lotion into a long, slender expanse of bare leg and Emma momentarily forgot why she had come. Dark hair fell down to cover Regina's face and Emma knew that, for the moment, the brunette didn't know she was there. So she stared, drinking in the vision before her.

God, she was- Emma didn't even have a word. She was worth it: the climb, the evil mother, the curse.

She raised her hand to rap on the window when Regina looked up. Her dark eyes flashed and widened. Emma could read the words on the other woman's lips even if she couldn't hear them.

"Miss Swan!"

Regina crossed to then opened the window. "What do you think you're doing?"

Her words were a whisper and her mouth curled into a smile as she spoke them. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Regina was happy to see her.

"I told you I'd come by, but I didn't think your Mom would appreciate me dropping by after _business hours_."

She leaned through the window and let her fingers slide through Regina's dark hair.

"You hair: it's short and flippy again." Like it had been when they'd first met. When all the craziness had been at it's very beginning.

Regina's hand caught her and pressed it to her cheek, turning a simple touch into a caress. Emma smiled at the movement and knew that the fleeting contact would never be enough.

"Can I come in?

Her hand was still on Regina's sculpted cheek so she felt as well as heard the other woman's quiet, "Please do."

* * *

Her mother had _insisted _on staying the night. To keep an eye on her, she said. Henry had been ecstatic about the idea. He loved his grandmother. Of course he did, there wasn't anything about The Queen of Hearts in his book. He didn't know. She wasn't sure that she wanted him to know. He loved Cora and though she could only barely wrap her head around the idea, Cora loved him too. They looked so happy together.

She moved around her bedroom, tending to her nightly routine. Henry had preferred, demanded, that his grandmother tuck him in. Cora was his beloved Grandma and she was the Evil Queen, of course he preferred Cora.

No one ever chose her.

She bit back a sigh and sat on the side of her bed. She rubbed lotion into her legs without conscious thought. Emma had said she would come by, but she hadn't. Part of her knew that her mother's presence had made it impossible, but another smaller and pettier part of her still felt betrayed.

She was alone, again. Regina let her hair fall over her face. Why would _now_ be any different? A few kisses, as wonderful as they had been, meant little in the grand scheme of things.

She looked up sharply, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing at attention. She could feel eyes on her. She had developed a certain sixth sense about these things. An Evil Queen needed to know when she was being watched.

Vibrant blue-green eyes stared at her from the darkness outside of her bedroom window.

Emma.

"Miss Swan!"

She could see the infuriating blonde smirk at her and she smiled despite herself. Regina padded to the window and opened it.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She whispered because her mother was in the guest room just down the hall. Emma leaned against the window sill, still dressed as she had been that morning: jeans, and a white tank top with a stain that was almost covered by her red jacket. Regina had an inexplicable urge to run her hands over the cheap pleather and draw Emma closer.

"I told you I'd come by, but I didn't think your mom would appreciate me dropping by after _business hours_."

There was humor in her words, and Regina felt her spirits lift just a little bit. Of course Emma could find humor in their situation. Then the blonde reached through the open window and ran her fingers though her hair. It was a sweet gesture. She had never realized how sweet her Sheriff could be. It had been many years since anyone had gone out of their way to be kind to her just for the sake of being kind.

"Your hair" Emma's voice was quiet and warm like honey-laced tea. "It's short and flippy again."

She caught Emma's hand and pulled it to her cheek. She hadn't been able to tolerate not touching the blonde anymore. Damn her weak and needy heart.

"Can I come in?"

God, yes.

"Please do."

She let Emma's hand fall from her cheek and stepped back to give the other woman room to enter her bedroom. She wasn't sure what to say, Emma Swan just kept surprising her.

"So-"Emma hooked her thumbs into her front pants pockets, "it's been a pretty crazy day."

The blonde had such a way with words sometimes.

"Yes."

Regina stepped closer to The Savior, her son's birth mother, the woman she was supposed to hate, and felt herself smile again. She touched the sleeve of Emma's jacket and found it to be softer then she expected. She ran her fingers up the sleeve and paused at Emma's elbow. Her other hand took a similar position on Emma's other arm. She squeezed both elbows and remembered Emma's words in the mine: together they were unstoppable.

She had been out of sorts all day. Since she'd jumped out of bed her carefully ordered life, the one she had maintained for years before the curse broke, had fallen to shambles. She had_ fainted_ in public for God's sake. Not a banner day for Regina Mills. Here in her bedroom, her sanctuary from the world, she could be in control again. She had to be in control again. She leaned closer to Emma and heard her inhale, saw her eyes darken and all but felt her heart speed up. She wanted this too. Regina leaned in and brushed her lips against Emma's. It was a soft, gentle, tentative movement. She hadn't been the one to initiate their earlier kisses. Emma had. The blonde had kissed her senseless and left her wanting. Another aspect of her life that had escaped her control. Emma hummed against her lips and Regina slid her hands to the other woman's shoulders then delved under the jacket to touch skin. Emma's moan only encouraged her to step closer. They were pressed together now, their breasts brushed against one another and their hips were flush. She could feel Emma's body reacting to her closeness. It was delicious. She pushed the jacket off of the blonde's shoulders and down her arms and smiled into the kiss. Emma's body was tight, athletic and sculpted, muscular where it counted most; yet still soft and womanly, delightfully curved in all of the right places. Regina found that she enjoyed the dichotomy, it was enticing and utterly sexy.

She opened her mouth and gently bit Emma's lower lip. The blonde groaned and her lips parted. Her mouth was warm and wide open for Regina to plunder. Hands, gentle but insistent, circled her waist and slid up her back. They broke off the kiss, but Regina dared not move or even open her eyes. She wanted the feeling, the warm and sweet sensation of the Savior's kiss to last just a little bit longer. She rested her head on Emma's shoulder and tightened her grip on the other woman's hips. Though they were the same height, and Emma couldn't possibly outweigh her by much, she seemed to take pleasure in wrapping around her like a big strong brute that needed to protect a tiny whip of a lady. Regina, surprisingly, didn't mind. She found herself melting into the embrace.

The day: Henry's hurtful words, the shock and fear that seeing her mother had inspired, the shame and weakness she'd felt when she came to on the Diner floor, everything, all her confusion and apprehension fell away.

You're not the Evil Queen anymore. Emma's words echoed in her head. Maybe, wrapped in the Savior's arms she really wasn't The Evil Queen. With Emma, her bright, brash, beautiful blonde, she could just be Regina again.

A knock at the door made them leap apart like guilty teenagers.

"Regina?"

Cora's voice came through the door as clear as a bell.

"Shit!" Emma's eyes went wide and she immediately clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent further curses from escaping. Regina pushed her towards the window. She felt the fear, too ingrained in her psyche to be ignored, push up her throat. It burned like bile and made her a little light headed. The last time she'd hidden a relationship from her mother and she'd found out- She couldn't even think about it.

Emma disappeared out of the window about twenty seconds before her mother opened the bedroom door.

"Henry's asleep, the little dear. He's such a good boy, but I had to take his flashlight so he wouldn't read all night. He's just like you when you were that age: too smart and sneaky for his own good." She walked into the room with a glass of water in her had. Regina tried to control her nerves and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes darted down for a moment and she noticed it. Emma's one-of-a-kind bright red jacket was on the floor, shining like a beacon. She kicked it under her bed as subtly as she could and hoped her mother didn't notice.

"I brought you some Tylenol, Sweetheart, for your headache."

"How?" Regina blinked, how had she known about her headache? She hadn't said anything, she hadn't even given in to temptation and massaged her temples when they had throbbed during dinner.

Cora only smiled, "I can always tell. I'm your mother." She pressed the pills into Regina's hands, "Sweetheart, you're flushed." Then she looked at the window, "Why is the window open?"

Her mother, the heart surgeon, did not miss a single detail.

"I was warm and wanted some air."

Please let that be the end of it, Regina mentally sent pleas out to any deity that would listen. She wasn't sure what her mother would do if she discovered Emma skulking about on the roof.

Cor-her mother pushed her to sit on the bed and pressed a cool hand to her forehead. "You're a little warm, Dear. I hope you're not coming down with something."

This was wrong. Her mother had never tended to her when she had been ill as a child. They'd had servants for that messy work. Impersonal women who had watched over her the same way they would a baking cake. They'd had just enough interest to make sure she didn't burn or fall. She couldn't remember her mother ever touching her the few times she'd fallen ill. Her Daddy had always been there, of course, but never her mother.

"I know you've had a hard year, Regina. Henry with his fairytale flights of fancy." She sighed, "I know he loves you. He's just confused and acting out."

An arm wrapped around her shoulders, "The Evil Queen thing will pass. I think it's been all the upheaval lately. That hideous investigation _that woman_ levied against you. You and Graham breaking things off so abruptly, and all the excitement in town. Henry just needs some time to adjust. You're a wonderful mother, dear. Better than I ever was."

What? Did her mother remember?

"All those hours at the hospital." A soft hand touched her face. It was so different from Emma's earlier touch, but it was still tender and full of something else. Was _this _what a mother's love felt like?

"I feel like I missed so much of your childhood. No wonder you turned into your father's daughter."

Regina stiffened at that and the ache in her heart, the one that never ever fully faded, flared up again. "Daddy."

Cora kissed her temple and Regina had to fight every instinct she had developed through the years that told her to jerk away.

"He would be proud of you. You're a wonderful mother, a single mother at that. You're a respectable and fair mayor, a true leader and you are the best daughter any mother could ask for. Now," Her mother stood up, "take two of these and call me in the morning. I'll be just down the hall if you need anything." She paused mid-step at the open door, "I love you, Regina."

"I-"Regina hesitated because everything was too fresh and too painful. This had been everything she'd ever dreamed of and never had. "I love you too, Mom."

The older woman closed the door and Regina listened to her footsteps go down the hall to the guest room and for a moment, Regina was alone again.


	8. Chapter VIII: The Magic

Author's Note: Please note, fantastic friends and readers, that the rating has changed. This story was rated T for (Emma's) language but it is now M for language and SwanQueen sexiness. This chapter gets a little (a lot) NSFW. Read, enjoy and review if the spirit moves you, Dearies!

Chapter VIII

The Magic

Emma felt like a voyeur. Regina and Cora had just had what had possibly been their first ever mother-daughter moment (that didn't involve ripping out hearts) and she had listened to it like it was a radio show. Some things should be private. She waited until she heard the door close and eased back over to the window. Regina was on the side of the bed again. She looked so damn confused and sad and all Emma wanted to do was pull her close and not let go. When had that started? When, exactly, had she decided that she should be the one to comfort The Evil Queen?

It had been right about the time that she had walked into her home and seen the powerful, unstoppable, larger than life Regina Mills tucked into her parent's bed like a broken doll. She hadn't been able to save her that time. When she had needed saving most, Emma had been a step too slow and hours too late. Some Savior she was. She had decided then and there that she would never fail Regina again. She would always save her: every time from then on. That was why she had gone to the mines, to save Regina. Not Henry, not Storybrooke, not her own skin, but to save Regina, The Evil Queen and her Mother's mortal enemy. God, how fucked up was that?

The woman in question was sitting still, her thoughts obviously consuming her. Then she snapped to life and movement. Emma flinched when Regina's face, pinched and pensive, suddenly grew hard, her lips tugged into a snarl and she hurled the water glass in her hands against the wall. It shattered and Regina turned to the window. Emma pushed herself through the opening as quickly as she could. There were tears sliding down Regina's cheeks and her chest was heaving, like she was holding in sobs or screams.

"What's wrong?"

She had heard everything Cora had said, it hadn't been anything that made Regina do this.

Regina wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Everything is wrong, Miss Swan." Her voice was an angry hiss.

Emma reached out to touch her, but Regina batted her hand away before she started to pace the room.

"Be careful, there's glass on the floor."

Regina whirled around on her bare heel, face drawn in a scowl, the vein in her forehead throbbing. "_I know there's glass_." Anger, sarcasm and superiority dripped off of her words. This was the Regina she had fought with for so long, Mayor Regina Fuck-You-Very-Much Mills.

"Listen," Maybe she could calm her down. It had never worked before, but it was worth a shot. "it's going to be okay, we'll work all of this crap out."

"How?" Regina's hands curled into fists and she held them by her side, her entire body shaking with anger. "How can we work it all out?" The woman's brown eyes were on fire with emotions, flickering and hot. "It's not _real_. None of this is real, Emma. The town, the people, my mother, Graham, even Henry. None of it is real. It's a curse, a fantasy, a God damn magical illusion that is going to drive us both insane." Regina curled her arms around herself. "Graham is dead." Regina jerked her head to the side and looked away from Emma. Not fast enough to hide the flash of guilt and pain that went across her features, though. My Mother is dead. _I_ killed them both. Even if I hadn't, that woman." Her voice cracked, "is not my mother. She wasn't soft, and kind. She didn't give hugs and kisses and she sure as hell didn't act like that. She made my life miserable and killed a boy whose only mistake was falling in love with me, right in front of my eyes." For a moment, her brown eyes flickered violet and Emma almost stumbled backwards. Magic. Regina still had her magic.

Every word hit Emma like a punch. It wasn't just what she was saying, but how Regina was saying it. Truth, bitter and unadulterated truth. This was what Regina believed to be true with everything she was. She blinked and tried to process what she had heard. She had known Cora was a piece of work, but for Regina to be so upset, angry and scared. There was more to it then Regina's fiancé. Graham, Emma's heart squeezed. She had known, somewhere deep inside of her, that Regina had killed him. It didn't make hearing it any easier.

"So go."

Regina turned away from her, "Leave and forget about whatever _this_ is. This can only end badly. Once Snow and Charming share true love's kiss again, it will be over. A nightmare that everyone wakes up from, no worse for the wear."

And Emma had thought that she'd had problems.

"First thing," Emma drew in a breath, "you did_ not_ kill Cora. That is on Snow and we all know it. It was a truly shitty thing to do and no amount of apologizing will ever fix it."

Regina didn't turn around, but she tightened her arms around herself again. It was like she was physically trying to hold herself together.

"Second, it doesn't matter what happened before. Graham and Cora are alive again, and we can go on from there."

She stepped closer to Regina and touched her back with careful hands, the same way she had done in the Mine.

"And third." She wrapped her arms around Regina, fingers travelling down the other woman's bare arms to tangle with Regina's fingers. She rested her chin on Regina's shoulders and pulled her back against her. This was how she had held her when everything had ended.

"I am real." She turned her head and laid a kiss on Regina's pulse point. She felt the woman shiver in her arms.

"You are real." She moved to the other side of Regina's neck and kissed her again.

Now she turned Regina around in her arms and the woman allowed herself to be moved, all fight gone.

"And _this, _whatever this is, is real. We are real, this is happening." She pulled Regina tight against her body and then lifted one hand to her face, and cupped the brunette's tear-stained cheek the same way she had before Cora had come in. "And if the curse breaks tomorrow, bright and early, it's going to keep happening." Because there was no way she was stopping, she didn't even know if stopping was really an option at this point.

"This is crazy."

Emma wiped a tear off of Regina's cheek, "Says the Mayor of Crazy Town."

Regina smiled a little bit and Emma felt her heart lighten. They were still pressed together, and at some point Regina's arms had slid around her waist and they now rested at the small of her back. Emma felt warm fingers curl under the hem of her tank top to touch bare skin.

"We're going to figure all of this out, you and me."

Regina looked up and her eyes were darker then Emma had ever seen them. Dark and hungry. "You." Her voice was husky and low, "and me."

The rage, the sorrow, the flash of magic in her eyes, Emma momentarily forgot all of that. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Regina's, then pulled away. A promise, a reassurance, a gesture of comfort and passion all in one movement. "Yeah."

Then Regina was on her. Lips, teeth and a warm, clever tongue assaulted her mouth again and Emma's knees went weak. God, no wonder the woman had been a Queen, Emma was about to fall at the other woman's feet. Regina's hands slid from her waist and into the back pockets of her jeans. Emma's brows rose at the move and she hummed her approval. Regina pressed against her and Emma fell back one step, then another. When her knees hit the bed she fell backwards, and hands on the other woman's waist and in her hair, she tugged Regina down on top of her.

No matter what happened next, no matter how many years she lived, or what crazy shenanigans happened during those years, she was never going to forget the sight of Regina straddling her hips and hovering above her like a dark and sexual angel. Agile hands moved from her ass, over her hips and under her tank top. Emma could feel the muscles in her stomach twitch when Regina's nails gently scraped up her sides.

She broke their kiss and gasped for air, she wanted more. More of Regina's lips, more skin, just more. Her hands slid down Regina's body. Slowly taking it all in. Every smooth line and every wicked and tantalizing curve. She had always known that Regina was beautiful, but the blazers and pencil skirts, as attractive as they were, simply did not do her justice. When her hands rounded Regina's hips, Emma knew exactly where she wanted them to go. She slid down to the hem of Regina's silky night dress and slid both hands up smooth thighs, dragging the fabric up as she went. Regina nipped her lip then soothed it with her tongue in response. When Emma's fingers found lacey high cut panties she fumbled to a stop.

Regina's shapely backside had been something of an obsession of hers since her arrival in Storybrooke. It was tight, perfect and distracting in the best sort of way. Regina had known Emma had been ogling her, perhaps the entire time. She had put an extra saucy swing in her hips just to torture and entice her. Now she finally had her hands on it and she wasn't going to let her opportunity go to waste.

* * *

She pushed Emma onto the bed, or at least she told herself she had as she fell on top of the other woman. She was in control, barely, and needed to stay that way. Passion and want burned through her, consuming her, making her want more then she had for decades. She could not remember if she had ever felt like this before. She and Daniel had never fully consummated their love, and she had only felt fear and disgust for Leopold. Graham had been a physical distraction, nothing more. She had never needed the touch of another, not like this. She had never wanted anyone the way she wanted Emma. She kissed her with her entire being, trying to consume every sweet ounce of Emma that she could.

She paused when Emma broke their kiss and looked at the woman beneath her. Golden spirals of hair were spread across her white comforter and Emma looked flushed and her eyes were a hazy swirl of blue and green, a peaceful lagoon that Regina could happily drown in. She straddled the other woman and simultaneously hoped that the other woman could and could not feel the dampness that had soaked through her undergarments. She had not been so aroused in, perhaps, ever. What was Emma doing to her, and why was she letting it happen? Because she wanted it, needed it even. She craved Emma's touch and couldn't stop her hands from touching the other woman. Lust had possessed her like a demon and she did not think she could control herself much longer.

Her hands abandoned their place in Emma's pockets and she moved them slowly towards the blonde's midriff. She had imagined doing this, pushing her hands under the woman's wife-beater for far longer than she admitted. She dragged her nails along Emma's tight muscular abdomen and felt another bolt of lust go through her when she felt the woman's muscles twitch under her ministrations. She kept moving her hands up, and when she hit fabric, Emma's soft cotton bra, she hesitated. She had never touched another woman, what if Emma didn't enjoy her touch?

Hot hands moved under her nightdress and she felt her eyes flutter shut for a moment. When she felt Emma tugging it up over her hips she felt a new surge of arousal in her sex. She leaned down and caught Emma's lips in another kiss, nipping at her now swollen lower lip and then swiping her tongue across it. Pain and pleasure, a tantalizing combination that made her dizzy with want. Her hands moved on instinct, seemingly without her conscious command, under Emma's bra. The woman's breathe hitched in her chest and she shuddered and arched into Regina's hands. Pleasure buzzed through her, Emma had certainly enjoyed that.

She felt fingers, long and tapered, slide under the lace of her panties and her mind momentarily went haywire with pleasure. When Emma tugged her soaked lace panties down Regina let her head fall forward. She laid an open mouthed kiss on Emma's neck and then started to explore the area with her teeth and tongue, nipping and nibbling, tasting the salt of her sweat and something else, something that was essentially Emma. Delicious, intoxicating, addictive, Emma Swan was better than the finest wine.

She abandoned her perusal of Emma's breasts, a new and extremely enjoyable activity for her, and tugged the shirt up and over the woman's head. She threw the garment over her shoulder and paused to enjoy the bare skin bellow her. God, Emma was perfect. She could see the swell of the breasts she had been teasing the flat expanse of her stomach and the light red lines that her nails had already left on her pale skin. Emma arched up again, and Regina could not resist the clear invitation. Her mouth fell to Emma's chest, her neck, her collar bones, and her teasing amount of cleavage. She could feel more then hear Emma's breathy moans of pleasure.

Emma's hands were on her bare rear and thighs, fingers dancing towards her soaked and aching core. She knew the moment the other woman felt the copious evidence of her arousal.

"God, Regina."

She abruptly changed her direction and started kissing her way down Emma's taut stomach, and her hands tangled in the other woman's belt. She wanted the jeans off of the other woman's shapely legs. The buckle came open easily enough and Emma's hips rose in her hands, encouraging her. She unhooked the fly and jerked the zipper down with shaky hands. She needed Emma so much that she could barely control herself, and for some reason that didn't scare her like it should.

She pushed Emma's jeans off of her hips and growled in protest when she realized the woman's boots were laced over the pants legs. She was momentarily stilled when Emma tugged her nightdress, which had been pushed up to her stomach anyway, the rest of the way off of her. She had not been wearing a bra underneath.

"Sweet Fucking Baby Jesus."

Regina grinned at Emma's curses. How could someone with such a beautiful mouth speak such dirty words?

She leaned down and caught the woman's mouth in another kiss, long and lingering.

"Please, Emma."

She had never asked to be touched. She had screamed to be left alone, she had dictated how and where to touch her, but she had never begged. Queens did not beg. She was begging, wantonly, needy, she needed Emma to touch her with a desperation that she couldn't even understand.

"Oh God, no. We can't."

What? Emma's denial cut through her lust-crazed mind. She didn't understand. Sex was an exchange of power for pleasure. She was offering Emma her power, her consent, for pleasure. Did the other woman not want her?

"I-I don't understand."

* * *

The sight of Regina Mills naked almost killed her. She would have died happy too. Emma had seen her fair share of naked women. She was no blushing virgin, and had always appreciated a beautiful body, no matter what gender it was. Regina was not simply beautiful. She was a work of fucking art.

She mumbled something blasphemous enough to have every Nun from every Catholic orphanage she'd ever been through (three facilities in two different cities) blush.

She was perfection, her breasts were sweet, pert, and tipped with erect coral-colored nipples that begged to be worshipped. Emma's mouth watered and she could feel wetness soak her already wet boy shorts. She had never wanted anyone so much as she wanted Regina Mills right now. Right fucking now. She wanted to roll over and feast on olive-toned skin. She had felt the slick evidence of how much Regina wanted her and she needed to taste the other woman, to fill her, to feel her muscles clench around her fingers. She wanted to fuck the mayor until she collapsed into a boneless heap and passed out from pleasure. They kissed again, and Emma felt her body tighten and her need raged through her like a fire.

"Please, Emma."

Honey soaked whiskey, gorgeous and needy. She would never ever get the sound of Regina begging for her touch out of her head, it was burnt into her memory along with the sight of the woman gloriously naked on top of her.

Then she looked at Regina's beautiful face and realized that it was still marred by tear tracks.

This was so wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She couldn't just fuck Regina and expect everything to work out. The brunette, captivating and sexy as she was, was vulnerable right now. She'd had a day that would have broken a lesser woman. If she did this now, if she gave into her lust and need, she would never forgive herself. She did not want their first time to be a fast and furious fuck that they might regret later.

"Oh God, no. We can't."

She watched the emotions play in Regina's eyes. Want, hurt, confusion.

"I-I don't understand."

The seductress, the wanton sex angel, disappeared.

"Don't you want me?"

The instant vulnerability, the way Regina immediately doubted herself, doubted Emma, that was why they couldn't continue. Regina had to understand why, though.

"Are you kidding me?"

She caught the woman's wrist in her hand and dragged it to the apex of her trembling thighs. She knew Regina could feel the heat and her soaked sex through the fabric of her uncomfortably damp underwear.

"I want you more than I've wanted any other person _ever_."

Regina's fingers twitched and the small movement made Emma's hips buck and she saw stars for a moment.

"No."

She jerked Regina's hand away and brought it to her lips. She pressed a kiss to the woman's fingers. "Not like this."

Regina's dark eyes were filling with tears again and Emma felt like the lowest form of life on the planet at the sight of them.

"When we make love, it's going to be good. I want it to be a long, beautiful night with no fear." She touched Regina's cheek and wiped away the single tear that had escaped her dark eye. "no tears, and definitely no sons or mothers just down the hall." She looped her hand around the back of Regina's neck and tugged her down to lay on her.

The intimate touch of the woman's body against hers did not help the raging lust that burnt through her veins and arteries, but she forced herself to be calm. "You deserve to be worshipped, Regina, not fucked. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Regina's face was hidden in her shoulder so she dropped a kiss on her temple.

Please understand, Emma mentally begged the other woman.

She felt Regina turn her head and Emma tilted her own so they could see eye to eye.

The look in her dark brown eyes knocked Emma for yet another loop.

"No one has ever made love to me, Emma." Her voice was little more than a whisper, small and unsure. "I haven't ever done anything other than _this_. I don't know-"

Emma cut her off with a kiss. "I_ will_ make love to you and show you how good it can be." She mentally damned each and every one of Regina's past lovers. Who in the hell could touch this woman and not want to spend days worshipping her like some sort of pagan sex goddess? "Just not tonight." She wrapped her arms around Regina's naked form and, with no small amount of regret, tugged her lacey panties back into their proper place.

"Will you stay?"

She tightened her arms around Regina, "Wild ass horses couldn't drag me away from you."

Regina laughed, it was small and quick, but a laugh none the less.

"Where did my gown go?"

Emma smirked, "Doesn't matter, Mills, you're not putting it back on. I'm trying to be good but I'm not a damn saint. I'm going to take off my boots and jeans and I am going to hold you against me, skin on skin, all night."

"You just want to cop a feel, Swan."

She kissed Regina's shoulder, "You've got that right."

She sat up and started to fight with her boots while Regina turned down the comforter and sheets. Emma had never been one for over-night stays. It had been a very long string of one-night-stands since Neal had abandoned her on Pinocchio's command. Still, settling into Regina Mill's bed, naked but for her boy shorts. (Regina had pouted at her and said that her wearing a bra wasn't fair so she had shed it) felt surprisingly comfortable.

Her all-consuming need had started to recede and her body no longer throbbed quite as much. She turned to her side and smiled at the equally bare brunette. Regina was covered now, but all Emma needed to do was close her eyes to see the image of her naked. She reached out for the other woman, her woman, and pulled her close.

"You're my little spoon." She wrapped around Regina, letting her sudden urge to protect take over. A woman who didn't know what making love was had probably never been held either. Her left arm curled beneath Regina's head and her right draped over the woman's tiny midriff. Their legs tangled together, wrapping around each other with a comfortable ease. Regina twisted her fingers around her own. Emma had never felt more comfortable or complete as she did with Regina in her arms and that was a terrifying thought. Yet, she did not tense up or move away, she snuggled closer. She pressed a kiss to Regina's exposed shoulder.

"Tell me a story."

She was warm and happy, but not quite ready for sleep yet.

"A bed time fairy tale, Emma?"

Emma nipped the other woman's shoulder hard enough to leave a small mark, "God no. I've had enough fairytales to last a lifetime. Tell me a real story. Tell me a story about_ our_ son."

Regina went quiet for a moment and Emma feared that she had stepped over some invisible line.

"When Henry was an infant he had thick dark hair."

Yeah, she remembered that. She had seen him and his ridiculous amount of hair just after he'd been born. She had not held him, though. Emma had known that if she had held him that she would have never been able to let go.

"But by the time he was six months old it had lightened" She felt Regina's fingers leave hers and then a tug on one of her curls, "to blonde."

She smiled when Regina's hand returned to hers.

"When he was, oh two and three, it was so blonde it was almost white, especially in the summer. Henry loved to play in the backyard." She could hear the smile in Regina's voice as she spoke, "He was such a happy little boy. He would run around the apple tree and rose bushes, a big circle over and over again babbling at me to catch him."

Emma's eyes started to droop and she could almost see it. A towheaded Henry toddling around in circles with his beautiful brunette mother chasing him. All that was missing from the scene was her.

"By the time he was five, it had started to darken and I found myself torn because I loved his light baby hair but when it started to darken he looked a little bit like me." She trailed off for a moment, "I love him so much, Emma."

She knew, and she also knew that taking him away had been the worst mistake she had ever made. A mistake that she now had a chance to fix.

"I know you do. He knows too."

Regina snuggled back against her, tight enough so there was no space between them. It should have been wildly erotic, but Emma felt warm comfort and something that was disturbingly close to the big L word.

"Please don't take him away again."

She rolled a little and leaned her head a bit so she could kiss Regina's cheek, "Never. Never ever again, Regina. I won't let _anyone _take Henry from you. From us."

"Okay."

She was never going to get over this soft and vulnerable side of Regina. It continued to amaze her that this sweet and brave woman had been hidden behind the high, seemingly impenetrable walls of The Evil Queen. What and who the hell had happened to Regina to make her so guarded and so hurt? She had a list of suspects: Cora, Gold, her own damn mother. It was a complicated and completely fucked up situation, and eventually she would have to work it all out. Not tonight, though. Tonight was for them, for her and Regina to just be.

"Sleep now, Regina. All of our crazy problems will still be here in the morning."

"And you?"

Emma snuggled into her brunette's neck and sighed at the smell of her apple shampoo. "I'll be here too."

There was so much to talk about: the curse, Henry, Regina's magic, Greg and Tamara, Cora, Storybrooke, everything. Tomorrow would come and she would have to tell Regina everything. Tonight, though, tonight she was content to let Regina rest in her arms and feel safe and lov-cared about. Safe and cared about.

* * *

As the Savior and The Evil Queen drifted off to sleep, another set of eyes snapped open. Confusion came first, complete and utter non-comprehension. Then the familiar spark and tug of magic made itself known. Memories trickled in and a fast and cunning logic organized them into some semblance of order.

The diamond, the fail safe magical artifact that had bound her powers and kept her locked in place, was gone. She was free and for the first time in twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine, years she was free. A smile tugged at her lips and a slender hand pushed wild blonde curls out of her eyes.

She had died, she remembered the sword piercing her, but now she was alive again. She did not know how or why, but it did not matter. Maleficent cared little for details. They were pesky little things that she only tolerated when she had to. She was more of a big picture woman. Her picture, her big canvas consisted of one image. An image that she had nurtured in a reptilian mind for almost three decades. It was simple, really. Regina, her dear friend, betrayed, beaten, bloody and broken at her feet begging for mercy that the both knew would not come. She had locked her in a cave for years in her dragon form and then she had sent a bumbling blonde to slay her for whatever had been hidden in that thrice-damned golden egg. Regina had enacted the Dark Curse, despite her warnings, and though she'd had the power to make Malificent's life a beautiful, easy thing she had instead turned her into a guard dragon.

Oh she would pay. Magic surged through her. Without her staff it would be somewhat harder to control, but she was not without her ways. Regina would pay for her callous betrayal and she would pay dearly. Whatever happiness she had gained here would be, to steal a quote, destroyed. Utterly and completely crushed under her heel while Regina writhed in agony. She would not kill her, why would she do that when Regina was her only friend?

She stretched her wonderfully human body and felt vertebrae crack. She was going to paint the town that she'd been trapped beneath red with blood and purple with magic. Right after, she stretched her legs and got a very stiff drink.


	9. Chapter IX: The Rabbit Hole

Chapter IX

The Rabbit Hole

It took a great deal of concentration but she transported herself out of her subterranean prison. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and her spine trembled with effort but she appeared in the middle of what looked like a library. Typical of Regina, to lock her underneath a center of learning. She had probably thought it was amusing, a metaphor for knowledge and power. Once she would have chuckled, now it just burned in her stomach. The arrogance of her one-time friend knew no end.

She stalked through the tall shelves and searched for the exit. She had to get a staff or wand, or something to use as a focus for her magic. Not having access to her full abilities was intolerable. She had so much destruction to wreak and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it. She found the door and was thrilled to see that it was dark outside. Oh, she had missed the night sky. The dark blackness dotted with stars and the soft moonlight. Maleficent adored the night, it was a time for mischief, magic and merriment. It was less harsh and unforgiving then the bright light of the day. She stepped out into the night and was shocked at what she saw.

Everything was so clean, so orderly, and so different. Where was she? She turned around to look for any clues. The sign over the library declared her to be in Storybrooke. Maleficent chuckled bitterly, what a ridiculous name for a cursed town full of fools and forgotten heroes. She started walking on streets made of stone and was relieved that there was no muck or mire to muddy her shoes. Sanitation had certainly come a long way while she'd been trapped as a dragon. Regina had always loathed messiness, which had been something they'd agreed upon once upon a time. She walked through the empty street and marveled at what she saw. One of the storefronts was full of mirrors that had moving pictures, but it was not magic. Something else. She tilted her head and watched a small girl with gold curls call herself a "Honey Boo Boo" whatever that was. The Dark Curse had certainly made things strange.

She walked past the stores, her dress and cloak dragging behind her. She paused again at another window and her brows rose.

"Oh that's very nice."

It was a seamstress's shop, but the dresses behind the glass were nothing like what she had seen before. They were sinfully short and decadently delicious. Not a corset or petticoat in sight. There were no ruffles, there weren't even sleeves to pin ruffles upon. It was something completely different: slinky, sexual, revealing and Maleficent liked it. Besides, she doubted there were many women running around in full length gowns if this was more the style. She couldn't afford to catch Regina's attention too early, not before she was good and ready for Her Majesty. Still, though, she _wanted_ that dress. There were three of the dressed draped on headless dummies that looked like bloodless corpses in the night. The one of the far right was purple, her color. She pressed her hands against the smooth, cold glass. Magic made many things possible, it was all a matter of emotion, and emotions came in so many decadent flavors. Love, hate, lust, hope, fear, rage, blood lust, an orgy of emotions with endless uses. At the moment the over powering emotion that was rushing through her was greed. She wanted the dress. She wanted her revenge. She wanted a drink. She wanted the cursed town of Storybrooke to fall down and worship her. She wanted Regina broken and chained like a dog at her feet. She wanted the wretched blonde bitch impaled on a sword, bleeding and begging for mercy. Basically, she wanted it all. Right now, she wanted the dress more than anything.

She focused and felt the small breeze twist around her. Her long flowing clothes disappeared and were replaced by vibrant purple clothe that clung to her like a second skin. She ran a hand through her hair and stopped at the headpiece, the faux crown she had always wore. It simply wouldn't do here. She plucked it off her head and clenched it in her fist. It melted and twisted into a bracelet that twisted half-way up her arm: wings, claws, scales, an iridescent jeweled dragon that clung to her. She had the dress and she looked at her ghostly reflection in the window glass, and smirked. "Not bad." She turned to look at her side and ran her hand down her flat stomach, "Not bad at all." Now she needed that drink.

* * *

She had been in his arms at the end. When the forest had crept up the streets and threatened to swallow the town whole, Belle had been his once more. Beautiful, sweet Belle with her kind blue eyes and her soft lips. He had cured her just to die with him. He was a selfish coward, a bastard, really. She had kissed him anyway and for a moment the world could have gone straight to hell because she was in his arms.

"You lost your son."

She had not berated him or demanded to know why, or asked him to protect her. She had set aside everything that she must have been feeling to comfort him. Then it had ended and she had been gone. He had awoken alone, in his bed, just like he had every day for the past twenty-eight years. The town had been saved, different but the same. Something had happened in the mine. At first he had thought Regina had stopped the diamond with her life. A fail-safe device. Regina had always been a clever witch. She was very adept at finding new uses and loopholes in spells, augmenting and tweaking spells until they were distinctly her own. She hadn't bothered to inform him of this device, of course. It had been put in place to stop him, he was sure. Who else would she have been worried about during the curse? She had so foolishly created the device and then let it fall into the wrong hands, it was only fitting that it take her life.

Then, when he'd taken his customary walk through town he started to hear the talk. The Mayor and The Sheriff were at it again, they said. Swan had made Mills so angry that she had literally fainted in the middle of Granny's Diner. So she had survived, though she had not come through unscathed. Fainting, really, what sort of Evil Queen showed such weakness? He chuckled at the thought, but then his mirth disappeared. Something was off. The people looked the same, acted the same and the town flowed with the same sedate, sleepy pace that it always had. Exactly as it always had. His hand clenched around the handle of his cane as he connected the dots.

The diamond had not acted as it should have. Something had changed the very fabric of the magic the fail safe had been created with. Storybrooke had not been reclaimed, it had been reset. The Dark Curse, his curse, had been recast. Only it had never meant to be cast in this world. The curse was meant to function in a world without magic. There was magic now, strong and potent, in Storybrooke and Regina, whether she knew it or not, was connected to Storybrooke. Still, though, to recast a curse as powerful as his had been with no preparation should have been impossible.

He needed to talk to Regina, but had other matters to see to first. He needed to find Belle. When he found the library abandoned he tried the Diner only to find that she was not there either. There had only been a hung-over Ruby Lucas, her temperamental grandmother and a dead man. Sheriff, or should he say Deputy now, Graham was alive again. The seemingly impossible had happened. Magic could not bring back the dead. Neither, as Frankenstein had learned, could science.

What had Regina done?

Nobody remembered anything. They were cursed once more to be ordinary citizens in an ordinary town in Maine. There were no princesses or knights, no fairies and no dwarves, just school teachers and nuns and janitors. Where, though, was his Belle?

He had a sinking feeling in his gut that if he waited long enough, he'd know exactly where to find her.

* * *

Lacey leaned over the pool table and lined up her shot, very aware that more than one pair of eyes were on her ass and not the game. It was too easy to take their money, they were practically giving it to them at this point.

"Eight ball, left side pocket."

The clack of her stick on the cue ball was familiar and comforting, so was the chunk of the ball rolling into the home she had designated for it.

"Pay up, boys." Ruby, now dressed in red leather pants that fit like a second skin and a shirt that was probably illegal in several countries, held out her hand and Michael and Tim begrudgingly slapped forty dollars into her palm.

Lacey straightened up and leaned against her cue, "Tequila shots?" Ruby only grinned in response before turning on her sky-high boot heel and walking towards the bar. She watched, unabashed, as the taller brunette walked away and even tilted her head for a slightly better angle. Ruby Lucas walking away was one of the best views in Storybrooke and she enjoyed it immensely.

One of these days she was going to have those sinfully long legs wrapped around her waist. Maybe tonight, Lacey mused, as she drank the last of her draft beer. They had been flirting and undressing one another with their eyes, making sly innuendos and dirty suggestions to and about each other for as long as she could remember. Something was going to have to give, and soon.

The men around Storybrooke were slow and dumb, small town rubes with scrubbed clean faces and calloused hands. She and Ruby had been talking about going to Boston for ever, why hadn't they done it yet? They should blow this shit-hole town and just go. Only Ruby, as wild as she was, couldn't leave her grandmother. Lacey sighed, and no matter how much she hated their little crappy little town by the sea, she couldn't leave Ruby.

The waitress returned with a tray lined with six shots, three for each of them, and lime wedges.

"You ready for this?"

Lacey eyed the other woman as she picked up a lime wedge in one hand and a shot glass in the other. "Are you?"

She stepped closer and Ruby lifted the glass to her lips. She was close enough to smell the stout Mexican alcohol, the citrus of the lime and a warm earthy aroma that was all Ruby. Damn but the woman was sexy. She tipped the glass and Lacey let the tequila burn down her throat. When the glass moved from her lips it was quickly replaced by the lime. When she bit into it her lips grazed Ruby's fingers and heard the other woman pull in a sharp breathe.

"Belle?"

Then hand, not Ruby's, descended on her shoulder and jerked her back. She rounded on whoever it was, ready to fight.

"What the hell is your probl-"She stopped mid-sentence because of all of the people in Storybrooke, she had not expected the hand to belong to Mr. Gold.

"Mr. Gold?"

She felt arms slide around her midriff and she felt Ruby's front pull tight against her back. She couldn't help but smile at that. Gold was, according to the gossip, very dark, very quick-tempered and he owned half the town. She wasn't afraid of him, intrigued perhaps, but not afraid. Ruby's automatic move to protect her, though, was just a little bit sexy.

"What do you want, Gold?" The quiet, almost sub vocal, growl that accompanied Ruby's words vibrated through her and she felt a surge of arousal course through her body.

"or is it Lacey?"

He sounded odd, like he wasn't sure who she was. "Lacey. My name is Lacey."

She wasn't sure why but he looked upset at her declaration. "I beg your pardon" his voice sounded different all of the sudden, like a defeated darkness, but that didn't make any sense. "I confused you for someone else."

He turned and limped away and Lacey watched him from the warm comfort of Ruby's arms. "Creepy old bastard." The brunette's words were hot against her ear and she chuckled, "Creepy enough to make me ready for another shot." The arousal pulsed through her now and she couldn't control her impulses, "Maybe a body shot or two." Ruby tightened her grasp around her and let out a hum of approval.

"No one gets me like you do, Lacey." The statement was so loaded with possible meanings and innuendo that she didn't even know where to begin.

* * *

The drinking establishment was easy to find, she just kept walking in the direction that the drunks stumbled from. Some things never changed. She chuckled at the name and the tavern's logo. Everything connected back to their world, it seemed. Jefferson's hat and the white rabbit he'd told her stories of seemed wildly out of place in this sleepy hamlet. She stepped inside and was instantly hit by the smells of sweat, alcohol, and smoke. A man bumped into her on his way out and it took everything she had not to round on him and rake her claws, finger nails, down his face to punish and mark him for his impudence.

When he looked at her, a scraggly, sour man in all black, there was a flash of recognition in his beady eyes. She did not know this man with a cane, but something about him felt familiar. Magic crackled about him in a way that tickled a long-forgotten memory of her past.

"Watch where you're going."

He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but then closed it and left. Perhaps he recognized her. She hadn't spent her entire life locked in the Forbidden Fortress or beneath a small town library after all. She had been known and she had been feared. She was the beast haunted children's' nightmares. She should kill him on principle, but murder was messy work and all she really wanted was a drink. What was he going to do anyway? Go screaming through the town? This looked like a place that wouldn't take kindly to talk of witchcraft and dragons, the man would be scoffed at as a drunk and a fool. Ironic that the truth would be called a bold-faced lie in this new reality Regina had fabricated.

She looked around and took the scene before her in. It looked like no tavern she'd ever been to. Not that she had frequented many taverns, but she knew what the average tavern looked like: straw on the floor, mangy dogs winding between people's legs, the stink of sour mash and unwashed men and whores. She walked to the highly polished bar and marveled at the many bottles behind it. Such variety, it made her heart thud a little faster. Oh she was going to enjoy this.

"What can I get you?"

She could feel the man's eye sweep across her, taking in her decadently displayed assets in. "What do you recommend?"

Before the barkeep could answer another voice beat him to it.

"The beer is shit."

Maleficent looked to her right. The speaker was a lanky brunette with fire red streaks in her long hair.

"The wine is worse."

Her companion, another woman whose dress actually showed more skin then her own, chuckled.

Ah, these women knew what they were talking about. "So what do you two recommend?"

The shorter brunette flicked her tongue across her lips, "Seven Princesses."

The other brunette nodded enthusiastically, "Seven liquors that dance all the way down. It's the specialty here."

Her eyebrows rose, she might kill Regina just for keeping her locked away from such wonders as a drink with seven alcohols in it. The Evil Queen knew how much she enjoyed her spirits.

"Three then, one for me and the others for my two friends."

She settled herself onto the padded stool and rested her chin on an open palm.

"I'm new to Storybrooke."

The brunettes exchanged glances, and she had a feeling a silent conversation. Finally the shorter brunette spoke again, "God, why would anyone voluntarily come to Storybrooke?"

Maleficent threw her head back and laughed, she laughed heartily for the first time in decades. She liked this one, she had spunk.

"Oh it's not voluntary. I'm here on some pressing business, but I was hoping to unwind and have a little bit of fun before I start causing chaos."

A tall glass with seven layers of color was carefully placed on the bar in front of her.

"Well if you're looking for fun or chaos, Ruby" He placed an identical drink in front of the tall brunette, "and Lacey" the shorter brunette, "are your girls." He paused, "I'll go ahead and start you ladies a tab."

Ruby picked up her glass, "To new friends, then." Lacey lifted hers as well, "To fun." Maleficent picked up her own drink, "To chaos."

They threw back the drinks in one long pull and it was like an explosion in her mouth. Seven colorful liquors, true to Ruby's words, danced all the way down her throat to hit her stomach with a splash of liquid heat. Three glasses slammed back onto the bar almost simultaneously. Maleficent licked her lips to catch any stray drops of alcohol. "Another round?"

Lacey chuckled, "Oh I like the way this woman thinks."

Maleficent felt her lips tug into a smile, "Mal. You can call me Mal."

Author's Note: I cannot even begin to explain how much I enjoy writing Lacey. Don't get me wrong, I like Belle too, but Lacey is so much fun!


	10. Chapter X: The Closet

Chapter X

The Closet

The morning sun came through the still-open window and Regina turned away from the light. She snuggled into the warmth of the soft body beside her. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw an unkempt mane of blonde curls. Emma. Regina smiled and wrapped one of the twisted lock of gold around her finger. She was still here, Emma had told her she would stay through 'till the morning, and she had. Emma's arm was a comfortable weight thrown across her stomach and their legs, their very bare legs, were still tangled together. When she had rolled over she had curled her legs around Emma's one. The Savior was asleep on her side, face mostly covered by her abundance of hair. She could see a small smile on her lips underneath the other woman's curls. She reached out and pushed the hair aside so she could see the other woman's face.

God, she was beautiful. Regina traced a single finger down the sleeping woman's cheek. Beautiful and wonderfully sweet and in her bed. Emma had not only stayed, she had held her all night. A night, a complete and uninterrupted night, of sleep. The Savior had kept her nightmares at bay. Regina couldn't remember the last night she had slept without nightmares. Her heart warmed in her chest and she laid her head on Emma's shoulder and wrapped her arms around the other woman's waist. She didn't want to get up. She had things to do, a son to get ready for school, a day to get underway, and yet she closed her eyes and smiled when Emma sleepily squeezed her tighter and closer.

Just five more minutes, she just wanted this moment to last a little bit longer. The day would bring worry, confusion and a whole new set of complications. As Emma had said, all of their problems were still waiting on them. Outside of the warm cocoon of her bedcovers, Storybrooke was waiting. A re-cursed Storybrooke full of amnesiatic automatons stuck on an endless loop. Then there was the matter of her mother, Graham and their miraculous return from the dead. Not to mention that Henry didn't believe them. It felt like every step she had taken, every tiny millimeter of progress she'd made had been ripped away. He hated her again. She was nothing but the Evil Queen in her son's eyes. Only this time he didn't even have The Savior to turn to. Though she had despised her, Regina had known that Emma would not let harm come to Henry. Though she had bitterly rejected the notion, every maternal instinct had told her to trust Emma from the very beginning.

"How can you think so hard this early in the morning?"

Emma's words were soft and slurred with sleep. Her eyes, a brighter blue in the morning light it seemed, were half open. Before she could even formulate an answer, Emma's lips were pressed against her and her thoughts immediately came to a screeching halt. Their mostly naked bodies were still pressed up against each other intimately so she could feel Emma's nipples harden and her hips twitch against her as their kiss deepened. Her hands fisted in Emma's hair and the other woman's hands drifted down to her rear.

Emma Swan was apparently an "ass woman". Regina didn't mind, in fact she was coming to enjoy the way Emma had taken possession of her posterior. It wasn't a bruising grip meant to hold her in position or a fumbling squeeze that failed to entice, it was- Short fingernails scrapped along the edges of her panties, drawing lines across the sensitive skin of her rear and she gasped. Her hips bucked and she broke their kiss because her neck arched back without her command.

"That's my girl." Emma's voice was still low and rough, but Regina wasn't quite sure if it was from sleep or something else. She didn't even time to raise an eyebrow at being called Emma Swan's_ girl_ before the woman in question started to nuzzle, nibble and kiss her neck.

Regina's hands fell, very naturally, to Emma's bare chest. The pert, round, creamy perfection of Emma's breasts was something that she found herself very attracted to. She loved the way the other woman arched into her hands and the way her nipples hardened underneath her light-as-air touches. She wanted more so she slid her leg over both of Emma's and straddled the other woman's hips the same way she had the night before. Emma's morning-blue eyes went wide and darkened a little. Regina bent down to kiss her and felt the hand that had been pinned underneath her waist join Emma's other on her rear. She shuddered in delight at the touch and let out a breathy moan with both hands started to squeeze and knead.

Emma nipped her lower lip playfully and Regina let her eyes fall shut. Forget five minutes, she wanted to spend the rest of the day in bed with Emma Swan.

Three sharp raps on her bedroom door shattered that particular fantasy.

"Regina are you up?"

Her mother had always been an early riser.

She broke her kiss with Emma, "Yes, I'm changing clothes, I'll be out in just a minute."

Please don't come in, please don't come in. She had a naked Savior between her thighs and no explanation to give, so please don't come in. She mentally begged every higher power she'd ever heard of for a small miracle.

"I'm going to take Henry to school today, Dear. So you can take your time getting ready for work."

She almost screamed when Emma raked her nails down her rear and the backs of her legs.

"Thank you, I appreciate that, Mom."

She hoped her desperation and hesitation didn't come through her voice.

"Have a good day, Dear."

She listened to her mother's heel-clicks and when they faded down the hall, she collapsed on Emma's body. She felt Emma chuckle beneath her.

"She may have her heart, but your mother is still evil."

Regina rolled her eyes and started to slide off of the blonde, "You are terrible."

Emma grabbed her hips to hold her in place, "And you like me that way."

She did, damn her to hell, she did.

"Well, Sheriff Swan," She pointedly ignored the butterflies in her stomach and the warmth in her chest, "we have to get up and start the day."

Emma rolled her eyes, "But I don't want to."

Neither did Regina.

"But you must, Dear. You know how the Mayor expects all the city employees to be on time to work."

"Yeah, she does get a little anal" Emma gave her rear a squeeze as if to make a point, "retentive about that kind of thing."

She chuckled and that surprised her. It hadn't been a pre-ordained, calculated and measured laugh, it had almost been a giggle. She had genuinely laughed at Emma's very corny joke.

"Gotta admit, though, I could get used to this sort of wake-up call."

Regina answered that with one last long kiss before crawling off of the Savior and out of bed.

She sauntered to her walk-in closet and made sure to swing her hips just a little more than usual. Emma did so enjoy watching and touching her backside, why would she deny her a little show.

She didn't expect warm arms to circle her waist as she picked through her clothes.

"The blue shirt." Emma's voice was right against her ear. "you know the one."

Regina's hand brushed up against the silk long sleeve shirt that Henry had once loaned Emma.

"That's it."

She had not allowed anyone to choose her clothes for her, not for a very long time.

"And one of those pairs of pants." Though she should kick Emma out of her closet, she let her hands slide across the well-ordered rack of slacks instead.

When she picked a pair off of the hangar, Emma pressed a little kiss to back of her neck. "And heels?"

Her shoes were arranged in a specially constructed shelves and though there were plenty of heels that would match the outfit, she knew exactly what Emma wanted. She bent down and picked up a pair of Jimmy Choos from the bottom shelf, and gave Emma a very long and lascivious view of her lace covered behind.

"Keep that up and we're both going to call in sick, Madame Mayor."

The idea was not without merit, but there was so much to do.

"We can't."

Emma rested her chin on her shoulder and pulled her close. She was holding her again, wrapping around her like a vine. She should have felt restricted, confined, claustrophobic, but she didn't. She felt safe and lov-cared about. Regina refused to even think of the other word. In Emma's arms she was safe and cared for.

"C'mon, I have to tell you something before I go."

Emma pulled her back out to the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. They were both still mostly naked and her bubbling arousal only spiked when Emma knelt down in front of her.

"Regina. Last night I saw something and I'm pretty sure I know what it means."

She raised a brow, unsure of where the blonde was going.

"When we were arguing, after you broke the glass. Your eyes flickered purple."

No. That was not possible. If the curse was re-cast then there could be no magic.

Only, Regina blinked, she could feel the tingle of magic in the air, in her skin and radiating off of Emma. She had thought that it had all been butterflies and endorphins. She closed her eyes and focused for a second. Purple smoke swirled in her hand for a moment before it dissipated to reveal a fresh bear claw from Granny's.

There was magic in Storybrooke.

Emma took the pastry out of her hand and took a quick bite. "Magically delicious."

Regina rolled her eyes. Of course Emma would make a joke about something so serious. If she had magic then her Mo-Cora had it too. Not to mention Gold. Magic crackling in the hands of people who had no memory of how to wield it. It was a disaster just waiting to happen.

"Well this is certainly unexpected." To say the least.

Emma chewed another bite of the bear claw, swallowed and spoke. "Do you think we did all of this. I mean, we tried to stop the diamond but couldn't. Could our combined magic have hit a bit reset button on Storybrooke?"

Magic was emotion and she clearly remembered wishing, hoping and dreaming of another chance to show Henry that she loved him. She had wanted another chance with Emma. To show her how much and how deeply she _cared _for her.

"Perhaps." She wasn't at all sure.

Emma finished her pastry put her slightly sticky hands on her legs again, almost hugging her lap. "We'll figure this out. I mean Henry figured it out and he's just a Kid."

Regina let her hands fall into Emma's hair. "Of course we will. We are, to quote, unstoppable together."

Emma gave her a smile before getting up. She started to gather her clothes and Regina watched her do so. She shimmied into her tight jeans and pulled yesterday's stained tank top over her head. Her bra, which had somehow ended up on the doorknob of her en-suite master bath, was tucked into her back pocket. She was surprised when Emma moved to the window and not the door.

"You can use the door, you know." She smiled despite herself.

Emma only shrugged, "Nah. If you come sneak in the window you gotta sneak out the same way. It's the rules. Besides it's easier to get to my Bug this way." She leaned against the window, "Besides you like it. Big and bad Emma Swan climbing up you house to sneak in to see you right under Mama-Cora's nose. Hell, it makes me feel like a teenager again."

Regina froze, Daniel had never been bold enough to sneak in her room. The consequences would have been deadly. She still felt a tingle of fear when the idea of Cora catching Emma in her room crossed her mind. It was silly, she was far too old to have to hide her paramour from her mother. If Cora didn't know, though, Emma would be safe. Heart or no heart, she simply couldn't trust her mother not to hurt the woman that she lov-cared about.

"Hey-"Emma grabbed her hand, "it's going to be okay. She can't take my heart, remember."

Regina blinked at that statement and couldn't help but smile again. Somehow the infuriating blonde sheriff had known exactly what she needed to hear.

"So I'll see you at lunch time?"

Emma cupped her cheek again and Regina leaned into the touch. "My office at one?"

Emma grinned, "It's a date." With that the woman climbed out of her bedroom window, walked to the side of the roof and eased herself onto a tree branch. Regina watched her climb down the tree, convinced that the woman would fall. She didn't. Emma touched the ground with her half-laced boots and walked, strutted, across the backyard. Regina watched her until she disappeared into the high hedges that marked the border of her property.

What had she gotten herself into?

She turned to retreat into the bathroom for her shower but paused. The sleeve of Emma's red jacket peeked out from beneath her bed. She scooped it up smiled at the usually offensive garment. It was bright, garish, banged up and bold, like Emma. She folded it over her arm and smiled. Maybe it wasn't _so_ bad. She lifted the garment to her face and let the scent of cheap leather, cinnamon and Emma wash over her.

Her carefully ordered life and town was in shambles, her mother was miraculously and magically back from the dead and she was stuck in a town full of magical creatures that were ignorant of the fact that magic was all around them. It was a recipe for disaster, just add the right spark and the entire town would blow like a powder keg.

Yet she was standing in the middle of her bedroom, bare but for a scrap of lace sniffing Emma Swan's leather jacket and smiling like a lunatic. This could either be the worst thing to ever happen to Storybrooke or the best thing that had happened to her in her very long and dark life. Only time would tell which.

With that though burning in her mind, she laid the jacket on her bed and headed to take a very long, very cold shower.


	11. Chapter XI: The Sheriff

Chapter XI

The Sheriff

Emma made her way back to her hidden Bug with a smile on her face. She had felt Regina's eyes track her the entire way through the backyard and through the bushes. Regina. She had opened her eyes and the first thing she'd seen this morning was the brunette's beautiful face. It was definitely something she could get used to. She opened the door of her precious yellow Bug and its rusted hinges groaned in protest. She_ wanted _to get used to it and that was the scary part. She had found herself staring into the serious dark eyes of her son's other mother and she had wanted to kiss her worries away. So she had. It had been that simple.

Except it wasn't simple at all. She started her car, it only took three cranks, and pulled back out onto the road. She drove past 108 Mifflin and slowed down to a crawl. She had spent the night with Regina, had slept with her in the truest sense of the word. When was the last time she had just slept with somebody? She had never been the big spoon, she had never held somebody close to her for their comfort. She had never been a cuddler, she had never comforted or petted, and she had definitely never been into morning afters. Regina brought something out in her. This big, soft, fuzzy need that she couldn't quite figure out. Ever since she had touched her in the mine, all Emma wanted to do was hold the woman close and not let go. She wasn't sure if she liked this new macho cave-man side of herself.

She drove back through town and headed toward Mary Margaret's apartment. She needed a shower and a change of clothes. Clothes, what had possessed her to walk into Regina's closet? She had always known the woman was a clothes-horse, but the entire walk-in closet full of designer labels had thrown her a little. It was perfectly, almost obsessively, arranged in order of style and color and Regina stood in the middle of it in nothing but those damn black panties. They had almost been caught by Cora, again, and the day was pressing down on them, responsibilities falling back on their shoulders, and Emma had wanted to tell the world to go screw itself.

She knew that they couldn't, no matter how much they wanted to, though. She wanted to stretch the last moments of their morning as far as she could. So she had wrapped herself around Regina and looked at the wall of clothes that was probably worth more than everything she had ever owned combined. There was the blazer that Regina had worn when she had begrudgingly handed her the Sheriff's badge after she'd won the election. Then there was the black turtleneck that she'd worn the day Henry had been trapped in the mines. So many memories, Emma smiled, almost woven into the wools, silks and linens of Regina's wardrobe. Suddenly she knew exactly what she wanted to see draped across her Mayor's beautiful body.

She nuzzled against Regina's neck, "The blue shirt." The one that Henry had let her wear and Regina had flippantly told to enjoy. "You know the one." She did because her slender hand immediately went to it. Emma smiled, she couldn't believe that she was curled around Regina Mills, in her closet, picking her clothes out for her. She also couldn't believe that the woman was letting her do it. It felt just as intimate as waking up wrapped together. Maybe more so.

"And a pair of those pants." The prim and proper, high waisted ironed-to-perfection slacks that made Regina's ass look delectable. Regina had almost immediately picked out a pair of black slacks. Arousal and satisfaction shot through her. She pressed a kiss to the back of Regina's neck, "And heels?" She loved the way Regina's legs looked in heels. She was a chauvinist pig, so sue her. When the brunette bent down do retrieve a pair of heels Emma felt her entire body jerk to attention. She had already stopped touching her beautiful brunette twice and her will-power was wearing thin.

"Keep that up" Being an irresistible woman that fit against her like she was meant to be there. "and we're both going to call in sick" If raging lust and possible insanity was considered a sickness, "Madame Mayor."

She felt Regina's intake of breathe and her sweet and salty olive-toned skin warm underneath her hands.

"We can't."

It was almost their catch-phrase at this point.

She'd had to tell her, about the magic and purple sparks in her brown eyes. Regina had looked momentarily surprised but then she had poofed up a bear claw from Granny's like it was nothing. She could get used to that kind of magic. She had knelt in front of Regina, and had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from kissing her way down Regina's bare stomach and across her thighs. She had hugged her instead and had never wanted to let her go.

That feeling, that wrap-her-arms-around-her-and-keep-her-safe Savior bullcrap emotion that hadn't stopped buzzing through her since their adventure in the mine, flared up again when Regina had frozen at the mention of her mother.

Damn fucking Cora for putting that fear in her own daughter's eyes. Cursed personality or not she _hated _Cora Mills. One day she was going to lay a royal ass kicking on the Queen of Hearts. She reached out to grab Regina's hand, because if she touched any other part of her body, she would never leave the damn bedroom.

"Hey" She waited until Regina's eyes met hers. "It's going to be okay." Somehow it would work out. "She can't take my heart, remember." She had tried and failed. Regina would never have to go through another Daniel. She reached up to touch Regina's cheek and the other woman leaned into her.

"So" she fumbled with her words because touching Regina, who was still more or less naked, short circuited her brain. "I'll see you at lunch time?" If she made it that long.

"My office at one." No hesitation, no smart remarks, only a shy smile and a spark in her eyes.

Emma let herself into the apartment she shared with her roommate-turned long-lost-mother-turned roommate again and headed to the bathroom. She needed a cold shower if she had any hope of functioning today. Mary Margaret, it was so very easy to slide back into the habit of calling Snow that, was already gone for the day and Emma was immeasurably relieved. She was not looking forward to that conversation. She shampooed her hair under the ice-cold shower spray. When Snow and David broke the curse, she was going to have some explaining to do and she had a feeling that her mother would not jump for joy at the news that she and Regina were… Her thought trailed off, she wasn't sure what they were doing yet. Well, whatever it was Snow was not going to like it. Considering the history between Snow and Regina, there was a good chance that Snow might take a page out of Cora's book and rip Regina's heart out. Yes, Emma sighed as she reached for the conditioner, Snow was going to blow a royal gasket. Her daughter was in lo-like with the Evil Queen Ex-Step Mother who had stolen everyone's happy endings and cursed them to Maine for just shy of thirty years. Dr. Phil would have a field day with them. Hell, they were a paternity test shy of an episode of Maury. Did they do maternity tests? She bet people would get a kick out of two women screaming "He's my son!" at each other on T.V.

Emma rinsed her hair and turned off the frigid shower. She felt almost normal again: crappy sense of humor and all. She walked back upstairs naked, because there was no son or father to see her do so, and went to her own closet. It was far smaller and simpler than Regina's, of course, but it would get the job done. She sighed when she saw the sweaters and scarves that she had borrowed from Mary Margaret's closet. Her mom-wear, she had called it. She had decided that if she was going to be Henry's mother she should dress the part. More grown-up, more responsible, and less like a Southie Bounty Hunter without a care in the world. She'd hated it. The cardigans had been itchy and the sweaters made her feel like she was wearing someone else's skin. Someone she hadn't especially liked.

She fished out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved blue Henley tee-shirt, pulled them on over still-damp skin. She had shit to do today, and if she didn't walk out the door in five minutes she was going to be late. Wouldn't want to be late, she smirked, not when the Mayor kept such a close eye on her. She added socks and laced up her boots before returning to the bathroom to gel her hair into submission before pulling it into a ponytail. Badge, gun, jacket and she could go. Jacket. She stopped dead in the middle of the living room. She had left her jacket at Regina's. Oh well, all the more reason to go back later tonight. Besides, her blue jacket went better with today's shirt anyway.

She stepped back outside and walked into the Sheriff's Office exactly on time. Graham was already there, of course, and he grinned at her. "Right on time, Sheriff." She would flip him off if she didn't need him to do something for him. She hitched her head and motioned inside her office. Which, technically, had been his office. She shook her head at that thought, it was probably better not to think about it.

He sat in the chair in front of her desk that wasn't full of paperwork and she leaned against her desk. "I need you to start gathering information for me." Graham blinked, "O-kay." She crossed her arms and tried to look sheriff-y. "On Greg Mendel and his woman Tamara."

Graham's eyebrow winged up, "You mean his wife?"

So the bitch and bastard really were love birds. She wondered how many times she had slipped out for her "marathon training" while playing with Neal's heartstrings. She wondered how many times she had been the one to hit the switch that sent electricity flowing into Regina.

"Yeah. Him and Her." Graham didn't know that those had been their shitty secret agent names, but he nodded anyway.

"And what are the crimes we're looking for?"

Kidnapping, attempted murder, assault, assaulting an officer of the peace, murder, releasing a weapon of mass destruction. Being members of some freaky corporation that wanted to destroy their town and magic. Oh and being creepers. She wasn't sure if that was a crime, exactly, but Regina would probably add to the town charter in a heartbeat if she needed to.

"I've got my reasons, Graham."

Reasons she could not talk about unless she wanted her loyal deputy to lock her into the Asylum.

"I want everything we have on them, official and unofficial. I want to know what they eat for breakfast, what they do for a living, where they live, what cars they drive, who hogs the covers, _everything_."

She sounded like a bad cop movie, which was pretty accurate since that's where most of her police-know how came from. Well that and running from the cops, of course.

Graham nodded, but looked a little confused.

"I trust your instincts, Emma, but I think you may be a little off-the-mark this time. I don't know what you think they've done, but Greg is a C.P.A and Tamara is a photographer." He plucked the picture of Henry off the corner of her desk, "I mean she took this picture, Emma. They're perfectly harmless. I've never even written them a parking ticket."

She went cold and stiff, and though she knew they were false memories, she felt nauseous. Tamara had been around Henry. She had taken pictures of him, maybe even touched him. Her hands clenched into fists and she blew out a breath.

"Listen, I know you're frustrated. Ever since the whole playground funding fiasco you've been off your game."

Great, the curse didn't let Henry remember that she was his mom, but everyone seemed to remember how she had made an ass of herself in the middle of a town council meeting. Peachy.

"You don't have to prove yourself, Ems. We all know you're a good sheriff. We all make mistakes. Good ol' Doc Mills just likes to remind some of us more often than others."

"Ugh. Doctor Mills can bite me."

Graham winced, "She's just still upset about those speeding tickets you issued her. All seventeen of them."

Emma couldn't help it, she smirked. It's good to be the Sheriff.

"And that" Graham grumbled, "is why we can't have nice things. You can't go pissing the one or both of the Mills off every chance you get. I mean I know you like Henry and all, but these pissing matches with his Mom and Grandma have to stop."

Emma rolled her eyes at that. "Just get on that fact-finding. I'm going to go patrol."

Graham heaved himself out of the chair, "Can you at least bring me back a coffee, we're out because someone forgot to buy some from the grocers like she said she would."

Emma didn't even bother to wonder how Graham knew she was stopping by Granny's.

The Diner was, more or less, the same as it was every day. Only Ruby was less than her usual spunky self. In fact, she looked like something the cat, or wolf in this case, dragged in. Lacey didn't look much better. The troublesome twosome liked to stay out late and party hard. There would have been a time not too long ago that she would have been right there with them. They would have stirred up trouble, drank their weight in liquor and had probably gotten a little too carried away with each other more than once. The Old Emma Swan wouldn't have minded getting into all sorts of interesting trouble with the two attractive brunettes. That Emma, though, belonged in the past. Before Storybrooke, before Henry and before Regina. Emma, still buzzing from her morning with Her Girl, hopped on a stool and grinned at her, "Late night, Ladies?"

Ruby only grunted. Down at the end of the counter Lacey, dressed in her regular uniform of too-tight and too short clothing, and answered with an equally disdainful sound before returning to her syrup soaked plate of food.

"You're one to talk." Ruby rolled her eyes as she sat a steaming cup of hot cocoa on the counter. "M.M. said that you were out all night long yourself."

Lacey, apparently enticed by conversation, moved closer to them plate dragging her plate and glass of iced tea with her.

"She looks awful rested, though. So it couldn't have been a very late night." Lacey chuckled, "Graham must be slowing down in his old age."

Ruby wiped down the already sparkling counter, "Or maybe Madame Mayor broke him."

Emma choked on her cocoa.

"What the hell, Rubes!"

Ruby grinned, "Oh come on, Ems, _everyone_ knows."

Lacey nodded, "It's a small town and everyone knows everything about everyone."

Not really, Emma mused. Nobody in Storybrooke knew anything about each other.

"I don't see what any of this has to do with Graham."

Both brunettes rolled their eyes and Lacey mumbled something into her tea.

"Well Graham was Regina's booty-call for, well, as long as anyone could remember."

"Then," Lacey picked up where Ruby left off, "You swooped in and the twice-a-week visits to Regina's boudoir stopped."

"And" The waitress picked up again, "you and Graham got pretty close" She waggled her eyebrows, "Then you and the Mayor went into nuclear warfare mode. I mean, you wrote Doc Mills like twenty tickets just to get her goat."

"Seventeen." Emma suddenly felt the urge to defend herself.

"Dr. Bitchinstein probably deserved them. She drives that Porsche around town like Storybrooke is her own personal kingdom." Lacey scowled as she spoke. "Look at how she acted yesterday. She's a freaking bitch. The only people who can stand her are her equally bitchy daughter and Henry."

Emma felt the inexplicable urge to punch Belle, Lacey, or whatever she wanted to call herself this week, in the nose. She clamped down on that urge and reminded herself that she was a cop and couldn't haul off and punch people.

"Let's get something straight right now, guys." She held up a finger, "One. I am not sleeping with Graham. I am not dating Graham. He is my deputy and nothing else." Also he was sort of a zombie or something. "Two" she held up a second finger. "Do not trash talk Regina Mills. She is the Mayor and my boss." Her voice was hard and each word was forced through her grit teeth. Regina was more than the Mayor, she was the mother of her child, and her almost-lover. She had almost died to save Storybrooke and she was not going to let people talk shit about her.

"Ruby held up her hands in mock-surrender. "Cool your heels, Ems, we were just kidding."

Lacey tilted her head to the side, "A little on the touchy side today, Sheriff." There was something in Lacey's blue eyes and Emma wondered exactly how much of the smart and bookish Belle was hidden under Lacey's racy clothes and drunken ways. She didn't seem like the sweet and kind librarian that Ruby had fawned over, but there was something beneath the vacant barfly act, Emma just didn't know what.

"Gimme a cup of coffee for Graham and I'll get out of your hair, Rubes."

She was done information gathering for now. Apparently the entire town thought that she and Regina were at-odds over Graham. If they only knew the truth they would probably lose their collective shit. Emma paid for the drinks and stood to leave.

"Hey Emma" She turned to look at Ruby, "You coming out with us tonight? There's someone I think you'd enjoy meeting."

Was Ruby trying to set her up on a blind date? Now that she had publically declared she wasn't with Graham did the other woman think she was looking for a date? Hardly.

"No thanks, Rubes" She smiled to let her know that things between them were cool, "I've got dinner plans with Mary Margaret and a nice, quiet evening planned."

If you could consider trying to convince a woman, who was secretly her fairy tale princess mother, to be a home wrecker and kiss a married man, her fairy tale knight-in-shining armor father, a quiet evening.

She would much rather spend the night snuggled up with Regina.

She left the Diner with plenty on her mind. The curse had left some things, but erased others. It didn't really make sense to her. Someone needed to write a manual so she could then read the fucking manual about this kind of stuff._ Evil Curses For Dummies_,_ How to Train Your Magical Girlfriend_,_ Magic for Beginners_, _Savioring For Fun and Profit_. Something, anything, would be helpful at this point. All they had to go on was a half-assed fairytale book and guess work.

"Good morning, Sheriff Swan."

She turned on her booted heel and found herself nearly face to face with Mr. Gold.

Yay, her other least-favorite person in Storybrooke.

"You and I, Sheriff Swan, need to have a little chat."

She knew she had to do it. He was the all-powerful Dark One and all that bullshit. He could help them, if he felt like it. Furthermore, she owed it to Neal to tell his father what had happened to him. She still would rather lick an ogre's ass than talk to Gold. It was official, Emma sighed as she fell into step with the dark-suited pawnshop owner, she should have pulled Regina back into bed with her and stayed all day.


	12. Chapter XII: The Mayor

Author's Note: Rumors of my demise have been greatly over-exaggerated. I have returned and hopefully regular updates will also return soon! HUGE thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited and/or commented upon the story, you guys are amazing! I welcome and and all comments, commentary, criticism and prompts can be reached by PM here, or my Ask Box on Tumblr (same user name).

Chapter XII

The Mayor

Her office was exactly the same as it had always been. Which shouldn't surprise her, but somehow it did. Regina felt herself relax a little when she sat down behind her desk and saw a stack of very familiar paperwork waiting on her. The familiarity of her job calmed her a little. She could use something familiar right now since her entire life had been turned sideways and upside down. The trigger had detonated, and Emma Swan had kissed her, the town was cursed again, and Emma Swan had held her, her mother was back from the grave again, and Emma Swan had spent the night spooning her. Regina's pen stilled mid-letter into her signature.

She was distracted today. Distracted was probably not the word for it. She was a mess, and knew it. Regina Mills loathed messiness, especially when it pertained to her. She needed, to quote Emma she was sure, to get her shit together. She laid her pen down and rested her head in her hands. So much had happened, it felt like she hadn't had a moment to process. She had been with her mother, Henry, or Emma or a mix of the three every moment. Not that she was complaining, because she definitely was not. Having Henry back home, even if he did hate her, was more than enough to make her happy. Then, there was her mother. Her mother with a heart. Cora had never had a heart in her chest, not for as long as Regina had been alive, perhaps longer. She was decidedly different. She was softer, warmer, and she cared. Not that she had changed completely. She still had a caustic attitude and was quick to anger and slow to apologize. She didn't seem to like Emma very much.

Emma. Now that was another issue. She had been at odds with herself from the very beginning. The first time she had seen Emma she had felt a spark deep in her coal-black heart. She had ignored it, or had tried to at least. She had wanted Emma gone, but the blonde wouldn't go. She had been pig-headed and rough and stupidly brave. Saving people, righting wrongs, being a nuisance and a temptation all at the same time. Oh she hadn't realized it was lust at first. It was hot and poignant, but she had assumed it was a side effect of her loathing of the blonde. She had told herself that, anyway.

She hadn't admitted, even to herself that she was in lust with the woman until the day at the mines. The terrifying, heart stopping day when she didn't know if she would ever see Henry again. She had allowed herself to trust Emma that day. Trust her to save Henry. The sight of Emma with her-their son wrapped around her had been immediately burnt into her memory. They had looked so right together. Which was why she had pushed Emma away, because she was going to take Henry. She had taken Henry.

Only after you cursed him. The caustic, bitter and dark as night voice in her head, the voice of The Evil Queen, reminded her. The memory of that day haunted her. The sight of Henry's tiny frame in the hospital bed with tubes and wires attached to his pale skin, the sound of the heart monitor flat-lining, and the scent of death. That moment, the horrible handful of heartbeats when she had been guilty of killing her own son, played over and over in her nightmares.

Emma had saved him. Her love had saved Henry's life. Pure and unadulterated true love for her son. Regina wanted to believe that her kiss would have saved him, but knew better. Her heart was too dark, too corrupted and too evil to help anyone anymore. Emma's words floated through her mind again, like ray of sunlight in a dark cave. _You're not the Evil Queen anymore._

She was startled out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Regina blinked and slid a hand over her hair to ensure that it was smooth. She opened her mouth to tell whoever it was to enter, but whoever it was, they didn't wait for permission. An eyebrow rose when Kathryn Nolan walked through the door with two cups of coffee in her hands and a Granny's bag tucked under her arm.

"Kathryn."

She hadn't seen the other woman since before the curse had ended. The willowy blonde was dressed in crème slacks and a sky blue shirt that was tailored to her trim form. Her blonde hair was carefully styled in a French twist and a smile graced her face.

"Hey I heard that Hurricane Cora hit Granny's yesterday."

She placed one of the cups in front of her. "I thought you might need a little coffee and-"She leaned against the edge of her desk, opened the bag and removed an oversized red velvet cupcake. "a pick me up."

Regina felt her mouth water. Granny's red velvet cupcakes were her Kryptonite. The blonde sat down in one of the visitor's chair and removed a lemon meringue cupcake for herself. "And God knows I need something sweet after this morning."

Regina licked the decadent frosting rather than comment. Outside of Maleficent, she had never had a friend. Of course she and Maleficent had never had coffee, cupcakes and gossip sessions. Their friendship had been rooted in a mutual love of power and loathing of princesses. She had been properly socialized as a young woman, of course. Mother had presented her at every ball, garden party and tournament, but the shark's pool of princesses and ladies-in-waiting had not been a place to bond with other girls. She had not known what to do with Kathryn the first time she had decided they were friends. Kathryn hadn't wanted anything from her. She'd had no ulterior motives that Regina could figure out. She had genuinely thought they were friends.

Then she had kidnapped and faked her Kathryn's murder. Of course she had also imprisoned Maleficent in her dragon form for the better part of thirty years and then had Emma slay her. Being her friend came with a very high price. Too high, it seemed.

She should shove Kathryn out before she hurt her again. It was only a matter of time, after all. Yet, Regina mused as she took a sip of the coffee Kathryn had brought, she couldn't force herself to do so. She was going soft.

"Are you okay, Gina?"

Regina blinked at the nickname. No one had ever called her anything but Regina. She was not sure if she liked it or not.

"Uh Oh. I know this look. This is the I-got-trashed-and-threw-up-on-your-bed look."

Regina choked on her coffee, "I beg your pardon?"

Kathryn grinned behind her coffee cup. "Just because you say you don't remember it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Freshman year at Yale. Big Bad Regina Mills found out that being the Queen Bee of Storybrooke High hadn't prepared her to party with the Connecticut Townies. I still can't stand the smell of tequila. Honestly, it haunts my nightmares."

Flabbergasted, Regina had no idea what to say to that. She had a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science (minor in Economics) from Yale. It hung on the wall behind her, in fact, but she had never given it any thought. The curse had provided her with the knowledge and pedigree to go with her Storybrooke identity, but she had no memory of actually going to Yale University.

"Don't worry, Madam Mayor, the secrets of your wild college days are safe with me." She took a dainty bite of her own cupcake, "You have far too much knowledge and possibly pictures of my own misadventures to risk upsetting you."

Regina smiled because she had no idea what else to do. This was quite literally uncharted territory for her.

"So are you okay? I heard you passed out. You haven't been in the tequila again, have you? There is a reason we have a rule about that. The same reason I'm never allowed to go near Jaeger again."

Regina put her cupcake down on her blotter and swept the crumbs away with an absent minded sweep of her hand. "No. I just got a little light headed and Mother over-reacted a tad."

Kathryn let out a very unlady-like snort. "Cora Mills over-reacting to something? Surely not! She's been like that your entire life. Remember that time that she drove all the way to New Haven because you got a B-minus in Biology 201? I thought she would literally kill you when you told her that you were changing your major to Political Science." Kathryn smirked, "But she didn't. She got used to the idea of you not being a doctor and she'll get used to whatever it is she's upset about now."

These memories, college and beyond, confused Regina. The Dark Curse had never provided such things. The past had always been a fuzzy nebulous of monotony for the citizens of Storybrooke. This reset curse came with extra memories and experiences. Memories that she didn't share. She wondered what Emma would think of it all.

The thought of Emma brought a small smile to her face.

"That. What is that?"

Regina's eyes flicked up to Kathryn's face. "What was what?"

Kathryn put her coffee and primly wiped the last pastel smudge of frosting from her lips, "That little smile. What are you not telling me, Gina?"

So much.

"It's nothing, K, really."

Regina blinked, the single letter nickname rolled off of her tongue without thought. She had never called Kathryn that before.

"Oh denial. It's definitely something."

Intelligent blue eyes looked her over, "or someone."

She could feel the traitorous tingle of a blush rising in her cheeks. She was the Evil Queen for God's sake, surely she could manage a little denial.

"Are you seeing Graham again?"

Her eyes widened, no one had known about her and Graham's arrangement, or how it had ended. Except, apparently, Kathryn. How much did the woman know? Had they really been friends in this recursed world? She wished she could remember, now more than ever.

"No!" She was most definitely not seeing Graham again. Though it was somewhat ironic that she was still romantically involved with the Sheriff.

"So it's someone new then?"

Having a friend was all well and good. Regina genuinely liked Kathryn. She was one of the very few people that Regina felt guilty about manipulating. She would go as far as to say that despite her treatment of the other woman, that she cared for her. Talking about her personal relationships, though, was a tad overwhelming. Especially since she and Emma hadn't really figured out what was happening between them.

"Did you say something about your rough morning, Dear?"

She none too subtly changed the subject, and though the blonde didn't seem to like it, she allowed it. Regina picked up her cupcake again and regarded Kathryn. The blonde's smile twisted into a scowl. "More of the usual. David bought me the same cup of coffee as he does every morning. We had the same conversation about the same weather and the same baseball scores. He pretends not to look at Mary Margaret Blanchard and I pretend that it doesn't hurt." She sighed, "When I married him we had such dreams and now it seems like we're stuck in this gray and shapeless place in our relationship."

Kathryn sighed, blue eyes locked on some distant point over Regina's left shoulder, "So I told him that I wanted to go to Law School this morning and he grunted like it was nothing. I have been working for Daddy at the bank for years and I hate it. You know I hate it. David, though, he just doesn't see it."

Law School, they had talked about it once before, right before she'd had Sidney kidnap the other woman. She had used Kathryn as a pawn in her revenge campaign against Snow. Only the blonde didn't remember that and Regina blinked, she had a chance to do things differently. She had an opportunity to make things right.

"He's an idiot."

The words flew out of her mouth without a thought. Perhaps she was not cut out to be a friend.

Kathryn didn't get angry, though, she laughed. "He's the idiot I took vows to love until death do us part."

"Do you want me to kill him, then?"

Regina blinked again, shocked at her own words. Where was this coming from and why did she want to laugh?

Kathryn snorted again, "You've been listening to Henry's wild stories, _Your Majesty_. Do you know that he thinks my Dad is King Midas and that I'm a princess?" She pushed a loose tendril of golden hair out of her face, "Which makes sense, because if you're an evil queen then I'm a pernicious princess."

Regina's jaw dropped at her very casual treatment of the curse and her role as Evil Queen. Had they actually talked about this?

"I mean I'm Henry's Godmother and I love him to death, but he thinks David is _Prince Charming_. I've lived with the man for years and he is not that charming. Slaying dragons and rescuing damsels? David can barely find his keys and cellphone in the morning without my help."

"He's never been good enough for you." Her comment was quiet and, Regina realized with a start, completely true. David Nolan was very much Prince Charming, but Kathryn had her own True Love, and though she had never met Frederick outside of Storybrooke, she knew what it was like to have someone so precious to you be taken away.

"But I love him?"

Kathryn frowned when she realized that she had made the statement into a question.

"I think I need another cupcake."

Regina swallowed the last bite of her own treat, "and a better friend."

Kathryn stood and slid her empty cup into the now crumpled paper bag she'd brought with her. "Oh stop that, Gina. You and I have been friends since we were kids. Yes, you're snarky, bad tempered, controlling and a little on the manipulative side, but that's why I love you." She grinned, "And what would you do without me here to keep you honest?" She turned to leave, "And don't think I've forgotten about this new mystery date of yours." She walked to the door, "To be continued, Gina. This conversation is to be continued."

The door shut behind the blonde and Regina sat stock still, shocked by what had just happened.

She had a friend. Their friendship was based on false memories that would eventually be revealed as such, but for the moment, she had a friend. Regina smiled when she realized that in a few short hours she would be able to tell Emma that she had a friend. The world was upside down and sideways, but she was the happiest she had been in decades.

Her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized that the happiness she felt would come to a screeching halt as soon as the curse was broken again. She had her son, her mother, a friend and a lover. She was finally happy and she didn't want it to end. She finally had her happy ending, Regina realized, and it would not last. The curse would end and everyone, probably even Emma, would hate her again. They would leave her and she would be alone. Always alone. She wasn't sure she had the strength to break the curse and live with the consequences.

"I need" she echoed Kathryn's earlier sentiment, "another cupcake."

AN2: Next Chapter - Emma and Gold have a little chat.


	13. Chapter XIII: The Pawn Broker

Chapter XIII

The Pawn Broker

Emma didn't trust Gold as far as she could throw him. In fact, she could probably throw him farther than her trust stretched. She didn't know much about the pawn broker but she knew enough to know he was bad freaking news. Mr. Gold, or Rumplestiltskin, was into some pretty fucked up deals: baby trading, fire setting, assault, he had sent a soul sucking wraith after Regina when she had been locked in a jail cell, unable to defend herself. He had also, according to Hook (who probably wasn't the best source of information) killed his wife in cold blood. She was also pretty damn sure that he'd had a hand in Snow making the decision to manipulate Regina into killing Cora. Emma felt the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up, that was just the shit that she knew about. They didn't hand out names like The Dark One for hugging kittens and selling the most Girl Scout cookies. Who knew what he had done? Finally, as if the rest wasn't bad enough, he was a lawyer and that was enough all on its own.

"You wanted to _chat_." She spat the word at him, "so get on with it."

She _really_ hated lawyers.

Gold walked along, his cane tapping a steady rhythm on the sidewalk. "Things have changed, Sheriff Swan, and I think you have noticed."

Emma sank her hands into her pockets. That was an understatement if she'd ever heard one.

"What changed, exactly, Mr. Gold?"

She wasn't going to give anything to Gold, she was going to play her cards close to her chest. She hadn't been the third best bounty hunter in Boston by playing it fast and loose. Information was worth its weight in, well, gold.

He looked her up and down, his ice cold eyes left goose bumps in their wake. Her skin prickled uncomfortably and she felt slimy. He was sizing her up, and trying to figure her out. He wanted to know how much she knew.

"Well there is the small matter of the fact that yesterday the forest was violently reclaiming the very streets we're walking on and today everything is bright, beautiful, and cheerful: A perfect New England morning."

Emma shrugged, "Well this _is_ Storybrooke. Crazy shit tends to happen pretty often." Though even she had to admit that the seeing the streets being tree raped had been a little crazier than usual.

"You have a dead man for a deputy, Miss Swan. That doesn't strike you as especially odd?"

So he did remember, somehow Emma wasn't surprised. Gold always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else. It was almost like he could see the freaking future or something.

"Compared to some of the other things" and people "I've seen lately, Graham is the least of my worries."

He paused, mid-step, "So you _do_ remember."

She tilted her head to the side, "And so do you." So it was an even playing field, then. He remembered, she remembered, it was practically a party.

"What did _Regina_ do?"

It was in the way he said her name, the way his eyes flashed, and the little quirk of his sleazy brow: Emma didn't like it.

"Why do you think Regina had something to do with it?"

This was really not a conversation they should be having out in the open. No one was paying attention to them, though. It was Mayberry, Maine and everyone was caught up in their own Andy Griffith bullshit about baking pies and breaking streetlights. Even if some hapless citizen overheard them, the conversation would make absolutely no sense. Magic, mystery and the mayor? She had lived it and it _still_ didn't make sense to her. Still, though, she directed their walk towards Gold's Little Shop of Horrors.

"Whatever it was that she did with that pesky trigger device took a great deal of magic. That sort of power could have only come from either myself or Her Majesty. I know where I was. I was in _my_ shop, holding _my_ Belle in my arms when it all came to an end. When I woke up I was alone, Belle was _Lacey _once more and a dead man was walking the streets."

The way he said 'Lacey' made her think that maybe he didn't like Belle's cursed wild child personality. It was one of the few things that they had in common.

"Magic can do many many things." His eyes sparked, "Many dark and vicious things. Many bright and glorious things. It cannot make _true love _and it cannot _bring back the dead_."

Emma wondered if he knew that Graham wasn't the only one back from the dead. Since he'd had a hand in her death in the first place, she decided to keep Cora's resurrection to herself. He would find out soon enough, but not from her. They had reached Gold's Shop she paused there and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Graham seems pretty healthy to me."

Gold crossed his hands over the top of his cane and leaned towards her. "My curse should not have been able to be recast, Savior. Not without preparation, not without sacrifice, not without a price."

His curse? Did he mean the crazy evil curse that had brought everyone over from The Happy Fun Time Forest and stolen their memories? That was Regina's curse. She had been all vengeance-happy and Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs and had cast it to punish Snow. Henry's book was pretty specific about that part of the story.

"What did she do?" His voice was hot with anger now, and his accent heavier. "She took away my Belle _again_ and I want her back." Gold reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Tell me!"

She jerked away, "We saved the entire fucking town, Gold. It would be hard to snuggle with your cuddle-buddy Belle if you were both dead. Show some freaking gratitude."

He blinked, shook his head and then blinked again. "We?"

Well fuck. She hadn't meant to tell him that. Ah well, if she wanted to figure this whole thing out it was probably better to at least let him know what had happened. She jerked her head, "Let's take this inside." She watched the wheeling and dealing devil, or The Demon as Hook had called him, unlock the door.

"Yeah. We. Regina and me. The Evil Queen and the Savior, Swan and Mills de-triggering diamonds and saving the day. No sweat and no worries needed." Okay so it hadn't gone exactly like that, precisely. Rumple-freaking-stiltskin did not need to know about her and Regina. In fact he was the last dude on the planet that she wanted around her family. He was Henry's grandfather, but she didn't have to like that fact, and she definitely didn't. She was pretty sure that Regina was even more upset about the connection. Well, that had been the brief impression she had got. They really needed to talk about it at some point. They needed to talk about a lot of things. If, you know, she could get past her overwhelming need to kiss the brunette senseless every time she got within four feet of her. Okay, like six feet.

"The two of you worked together? Aren't you quite the pair? Racing to rescues and giggling like school girls the whole time. What's next family picnics in the park with Henry and a dog named Spot?"

She smirked a little because that sounded good to her.

"All smiles" He rounded on her with a snarl, "while the father of your son rots in some unknown land? Dead for a wicked queen that he never knew. _My son_."

He lashed out and his cane crashed through one of the gleaming display cases with the violent crack of broken glass.

"Where is my son, Savior? Where is Bae?"

* * *

The old rage boiled up in his chest and he could taste bile and blood on his tongue. Without Belle to soothe his rage, the deliciously dark desires that dwelled in his soul took over for a moment. Violence was a familiar indulgence, one that filled him simultaneously with relief and a touch of obscene pleasure. The combination allowed him a moment of clarity.

"So why" He rested on his cane again, careful of the shattered glass on the wood floor beneath him, "is the Queen's pet huntsman" and the damned dragon "alive and my son still dead, Savior? Where is my Baelfire?"

Emma Swan, the babe who had been prophesized to break his curse, stood before him. The woman who had borne his grandchild and then abandoned him, just like Milah had Bae. The saying that "time healed all wounds" had been just as prevalent in The Enchanted Forest as it was in Storybrooke, and equally untrue. It was, in fact, utter drivel. The pain of losing Bae and then Belle had burnt like acid and ice for almost three hundred years. Some days it was less acute, of course. It could be pushed to the back of his mind by other matters, but it never fully left him. The pain and empty place in his heart where the two loves of his life belonged was a constant in his life.

He had finally found them again. He'd had them both-finally. Found them, only to have them ripped away once more. It was the sweetest agony he had ever experienced.

"Here's the thing. I don't know where Neal is. Or why he isn't here. This whole magic thing isn't my usually shtick. What I do know, though, is that he went down fighting. He was-"She paused and pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers, "brave strong and true. He and I might have had our differences, but he was a good guy. A true hero. You should be proud."

"Proud?"

Rage: dark as pitch, hot as molten steel and cloying as cheap perfume, rushed through his system. "I would rather have my son, my living and breathing Bae than a dead hero."

This had been the nightmare scenario that he had worked hard and sacrificed so very much to avoid. Be it in a war against ogres or a scuffle to save a woman he'd never known, dead was dead. His sweet boy was gone.

"How much comfort would it have been to you when Henry was lying dead in that hospital bed-"

He swung his cane wildly and felt a pulse of pure satisfaction when it tangled, ripped and shattered through glass beads and unicorns.

"Sorry that your boy is dead but at least he died a _hero_."

Only Henry had not died. The Savior had laid a sweet kiss on his brow and he had been perfectly fine. Bae had been shot and fallen into a portal, he had slipped right through the Savior's fingers.

"You're just like your love besotted parents." He sneered with every ounce of venom in body and pondered the consequences of murdering Emma Swan where she stood. "When are you people going to figure it out?"

How had their world functioned when being led by blind fools like Snow White and her ilk? Three hundred years and he still had no inkling. "There are no heroes and there are no villains. This is not Henry's Book. There is no good or evil, only power." He looked at the woman before him, the daughter of a Princess and a shepherd, the prophesized Savior, a puppet. His puppet. "There are victors and the histories they pen. War is a game, love is a lie and happiness is fleeting. Ask you new best friend about that."

The woman that Baelfire had died for. He swung his cane, the damn walking stick that he had tied himself to when he chose his son over his own honor, into the wall. One of the many paintings that hung there, a portrait of the very young and beautiful mother of Cinderella that Jiminy and his lovely parents had pilfered years before for him, fell to the ground: wood frame broken and glass shattered. The shards sliced the canvas and marred the dead girl's face.

"Death is death. There is nothing noble about it, nothing honorable or admirable. Ask your dear friend Graham about that. Better yet ask the woman who squeezed his heart to dust." He paused for a moment, suddenly nostalgic, though he wasn't sure why. "I taught her that, you know."

He watched Emma blink, as if surprised. Had she imagined Cora and Regina having tea time and magic lessons together? How quaint and completely inaccurate.

"Just after her dear Daniel couldn't be revived. No True Love's Kiss, no magic, no science, just death. That's all we are in the end, Miss Swan: lifeless corpses. Some of us are lucky enough to have a loved one clinging to us, weeping over our demise." Cora and Daniel, and even Henry Senior had been so lucky. Regina had wept over them. She had mourned Daniel _three_ times and Cora twice. A lowly stable boy and a heartless witch earned a river's worth of tears and what did his Bae get? "And others are shot and fall into a portal." He stepped forward, nose to nose with the infuriating blonde sheriff. "Forever lost."

Emma Swan, to her credit or naiveté, did not flinch. "Yeah just like last time. At least he wasn't fourteen and begging for his Papa this time." She raised her jaw, foolishly brave like her insufferable father, "His last words were about Henry. His son. He's a better man and better father than you ever dreamed of being. A better father _dead_ than you are alive." She stepped away, her point made, and turned to leave.

"Tell me, Sheriff Swan, is the woman who killed my Bae, this Tamara, is she still alive? Is she still in Storybrooke?" Was the woman who had toyed with his son's heart and then shot him in it still in _his_ town?

The woman didn't answer but her fists clenched. She looked back over her shoulder at him and he could see the truth in her eyes. The murderess was in Storybrooke, walking free.

"She's cursed."

Her words were terse and clipped, more Regina Mills than Emma Swan.

"That doesn't wash the blood from her hands, Dearie."

He could feel it pulsing inside him, electric and addictive. It made his entire body hum with dark desire. What had dear Cora called it? Bloodlust. His craving for the filthy woman's blood on his hands was almost sexual.

"Killing her won't bring Neal back."

He chuckled, the bloodlust clouded and almost lessened the grief. The heartless huntsman, the damn dragon, those lives he could excuse. Tamara, though, she would die and by his hand. Perhaps her man as well. Not for Regina's sake, she had deserved whatever they had done to her, but the man had made a fool of his son and that was unforgivable.

"No." He grinned and tilted his head a little, "It will not bring him back, if this miracle curse couldn't save him than nothing will. I, however, will feel somewhat better."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, defensive and angered, "And it's all about you, isn't it?"

He leaned on his cane, hands folded over the handle, the perfect picture of a calm man, "Yes."

Author's Note: No cupcake for Emma...sad.


End file.
